Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

A few weekends ago, I attended my first Inter-Community Pre-Novitiate (ICPN) Retreat at the Siena Retreat Center in Racine. To be very honest, I did not know what to expect, so I was nervous, self-conscious and yet excited to meet new people and to reflect on my journey thus far. Our first evening began with a prayer and “get-to-know-you” activity, it was during that time that all of my fears and anxiety melted away. I felt that I was at a family gathering. From Salvatorians to Capuchins, and Viatorians, it was wonderful to meet, “the family.” I was also overjoyed by how beautiful and diverse our group is, with people from all over the world: Brazil, Iraq, South Korea, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Poland.   My spirit felt completely nourished and recharged as I was able to experience bits of the different cultures that were shared whether through stories, dance, or music!   Our weekend was a time of reflection which allowed us to be open and honest about our transitions ...

Ever have one of those…days, weeks, months...fill in the blank?   Speaking of blanks, my mind is just that.   Blank.   Nothing.   Nada.   What?   Well, just because a woman is in a religious order doesn’t mean she has it all together all of the time!   What have I been doing? How has life been going in Spokane in Novitiate Year Two? There’s too much to write about. Remember when as a kid you would take a stack of index cards, draw a different picture at the bottom of each, and then flip through them quickly … making the cards look like a moving picture?   Sure you do.   Well, here’s my Novitiate ~ Part II in a stack of cards with words; close your eyes and use your imagination.   On second thought, open them or you won’t be able to read this. Spokane, laser tag (yep!), granola, sadness, gladness, community, St. Anne’s, working together, the Hearth, children, laughing, crying, homesick, praying, New Leaf, Gonzaga, Service Learning, p...