Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

I just got back from a regional meeting in Orlando.  Twice a year in various parts of the country, our sisters and associates gather for what we call regionals. These are times when we come together for pray, conversation, congregation business, and relaxation together.   This fall our regionals are focused on preparing for our Chapter, which is a meeting that happens every five years, where we make decisions together, set a direction for ourselves and elect new leaders.   So, while there is usually business to be done and we to do that, for me, it's connecting with my sisters and the associates that feeds my soul. I love being part of this group, Dominican sisters and associates of Sinsinawa, whose focus is on mission.   These days there's a lot of chaos as we move into an unknown future.   We don't all agree on where and how we want to go, yet we listen to one another and work toward a decision that we all can live with.   And what I always know is t...

I walked into the locker room, my stomach in a tangle of excitement and trepidation.  It was my first swim practice as a high school freshman.  A girl sporting a swim t-shirt and a smile waved to me.  “Hi, I’m Kristin,” she said.  I laughed.  “I am, too!” Kristin and I quickly discovered that we had more in common than our names, and we became good friends.  Eventually we both entered religious life.  She entered a different Dominican congregation, and shortly afterward I came to Sinsinawa.  We gradually fell out of touch. At first glance, our lives look different.  She chose a congregation whose sisters wear full traditional habits all the time; I didn’t.  Her name has changed; mine is still Christin, with a “Sister” before it.  She taught in a Catholic school and is now studying philosophy; I live on a farm and promote care of creation.  To be honest, these differences often made me feel uncomfortable. Recently, our oth...