Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

I am not a fan of January.  Christmas lights and parties are past, and the dark and cold still have their grip on the weather.  In Juneau this year we set a record for rainfall--10 inches, and little snow.  This is the time it is easy for me to slip into the blahs.  I want to see new life sprouting; I want to see more color on the earth; but I have to wait two more months.  During this "blah" time it takes more effort for me to be energized, so I decided to be pro-active this year.  After all, this "blah" time is God's time just as much as other times.  We invited someone to dinner one night each week.  Not only did this help to make the month seem to go by so much faster but we were blessed by the presence of dinner guests and graced by sharing both sacred and light-hearted moments with them.  What do you do when you find yourself slipping into the "blahs"? Marie Lucek, OP, Juneau, AK

At the Mound with 40 others involved in the Sinsinawa mission is where I spent this past weekend.  We invested 21 hours processing our role in working for racial justice.  Crossroads Antiracism trainers facilitated. “What in your spirituality leads you to this work?”  was one assignment.  I wrote in my journal—Holy Spirit, Source of Goodness and Life you bring us together to co-create with you. You created us to be HOLY and JUST as you are. Instead humans have sought to be God-like by putting themselves over others                         Outsmarting                         Out maneuvering                         Even ki...

Here we are, January in the rear-view mirror and a snowy white February staring through the windshield.   I’m feeling pretty fortunate to be in St. Louis right now ~ it’s amazing how different the weather is only 5-6 hours south of the Mound. Living and learning in community has been one major focus of my time in the novitiate.   While I truly love my diverse new family, I often think about my biological family and my family - my sisters and brothers - at home at the Mound.             Having just passed the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, my thoughts have especially been with two very special young women ~ Srs. Lien Do and Vong Nguyen ~ who took up temporary residence at the Mound in the fall of 2012. How I admire and respect Lien and Vong and the courage they have displayed in leaving their homeland behind for a significant period of time!   They carry themselves with such grace while living Gospel values with ...