Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

As I pondered what I would write about this month, much crossed my mind and heart.  In particular, this summer, I have been thinking about and praying for our Iraqi Dominican Family as the first anniversary of their night of terror (August 6) was observed this month. I am part of a US Dominican Committee whose focus is on the situation for the Iraqi Dominican Sisters and Friars and the people they are serving in displacement camps and refugee centers. We prepared and sent out a prayer for the anniversary and other ways to observe this time including an origami peace crane project. This latter project tied into the 70 th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki. A horror no one should ever repeat again.  The peace crane has become a symbol of hope in the face of terror and tragedy.  And yet more comes into this few August days.  One of our oldest sisters died on the eve (August 7) of St Dominic’s Feast Day – just as two women were receive...

A few weeks ago I was in Skagway for a few days.  It's a beautiful, serene area nestled in the mountains with ocean access at its feet.  At least now it is.  But in the late 1800s it was a bustling area because gold had been discovered  in Canada.  The quickest access to the gold was through the Alaskan mountains, and the long, arduous trail began here.  Gold seekers climbed mountains in the winter on foot with huge packs to pull.   Many died but finding gold kept them going no matter what the cost.  Imagine their disappointment, their devastation when they reached Dawson City in Canada and found out that all the land had already been claimed.  All that they had gone through and not a fleck of gold to show for their brutal journey. These men were seeking a treasure--they went to unbelievable lengths in their quest--and they ended up empty-handed.  I reflected on the fact that I need the same kind of persistence, acceptance of hardsh...