Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

When I was nine years old, I went to Kathy Fitzgibbon’s house and the two of us went on an adventure-walk to Perry Creek.  It was great fun but in the end we both fell into the shallow waters and were filled with mud.  Kathy’s mother was furious that we had gone to the creek.  I went home terrified that my mother would be equally angry.  Instead, she asked me where I had been; told me to clean up and nothing more was said.   How blessed I was to have a mother that loved me unconditionally and allowed me to learn from my mistakes through the consequences of my decisions. I have treasured this memory of coming home to a safe harbor and on my spiritual journey, I try to create such a harbor within myself.  A harbor where I learn from my mistakes without judgement and I simply wash away remorse and bask in the loving mercy of my God.  This is true freedom! Daniel Berrigan who passed away this month wrote: “ Practically no one ...

Last month I had the opportunity to travel to Poland to touch base with my Polish roots. The first city we visited was Warsaw, the scene of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. In retaliation for this uprising 85% of the city was systematically destroyed by the Nazis. Old Town with buildings that had dated back to the 13th century were completely demolished. After the war this area was painstakingly rebuilt using photographs and drawings of the buildings. Today Old Town truly feels like an old town. I was deeply moved as I walked through the area. After such devastation to their country the Polish people could have given up any idea of rebuilding or perhaps only have planned for a partial rebuild.  Instead they had hope--hope that they could once again touch base with the past while passing on a legacy to their children.  What an unquenchable hope in the face of such challenges!   We have just celebrated the Feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. Though these da...