Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

I love New Year’s Eve!!   For many years now it has been a very reflective day for me.   I love to honor the past year and prepare for the next by remembering the joys and sorrows, people and places, accomplishments and challenges of the year.    I am always amazed by what I learn in the process. Here are some questions that I use.   You may want to change some of them or start over and write your own.   1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year? 2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened? 3. What was an unexpected joy this past year? 4. What was an unexpected sorrow? 5. Pick three words to describe 2015. 6. What were the best books you read this year? 7. With whom were your most valuable relationships? 8. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally? 9. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually? 10. In what way(s) did you grow physically? 11. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships w...

Every year has its stories, and this year, 2015, is no exception. Each day we are confronted with the ongoing struggle of the Syrian and Iraqi people.  They who have practiced their Christian faith peacefully forever have been driven out of their homeland by Muslim extremists and find themselves begging to be let into other countries.  The operative word is extremists, for all of us know peace-loving Muslims. We’ve been exposed to many extremists this year.  All we need to do is look at the presidential candidates!  In the year 2016, we can hope that life will return to more familiar ways.  My parents were refugees from a brutal genocide.  Meanwhile, we must ask, no, we must beg, that refugees be admitted to this country once again. Ruth Poochigian, O.P. Madison WI