Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

A thought has been consistently pestering me, filling me with awe for quite some time, particularly over the last few years.  Although difficult for me to articulate well, I am consistently reminded how ordinary and extraordinary, how significant and insignificant we all are. I have met many people from all walks of life since joining the Sinsinawa Dominicans five short years ago, and many more people before that.   Incredibly gifted yet incredibly ordinary people, doing incredibly good yet incredibly ordinary works.   Each one uniquely created yet each created in the image and likeness of God.   But 5-1/2 years ago I was not aware of their existence, and vice versa. Imagine!   I guess what I’m trying to say is that we are surrounded by incredible stories that we may never hear, stories of people we may never meet – whose lives, like our own, are filled with passion and sorrow, hopes and fears, doubt and deep faith and stumbling faith.   Stories ...

Grace Roidt, associate, who lives with us in Madison especially wanted to see Mavis Staples on the Kennedy Honors. Then our friend rang the doorbell, and we missed the portion of the show with Mavis.  So today we researched Mavis Staples on line.  We found her singing “Wholy, Holy” on a UTube,   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfRw_WdWazU Besides the energy that Mavis brings to this song, written by Marvin Gaye, the words speak to my thoughts and mood these days between 2016 and 2017. Many ask, What stands out about 2016? What calls us in 2017? 2016 often found people divided, but the song and many leaders said, We all gotta come together 'Cause we need the strength, power. In April 2016 at chapter (our highest governing body) Sinsinawa Dominicans realized “God’s mission is our mission” It’s like the song says, We should believe in one another (Believe in Jesus). We can conquer hate forever. In April, much like the song, we proclaimed our vis...