Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

  For the past 3 months, I have intentionally engaged in reading and reflecting on collective hope, resistance, and resilience. I am currently re-reading a book about spiritual resistance and hope. It is food for my heart and soul, and I have shared it with several friends. Last night I was invited to have dinner with two of my Sinsinawa sisters and a guest who is in town to speak on her advocacy work, insights, and current social justice lobbying efforts.   There were several times, before and during dinner, when injustices and collective or communal hope entered into our conversation. It has become increasingly clear that I am definitely not alone in being comforted and energized by the power of hope, grounded in faith and community. In my daily work, I encounter significant loss and worry, individual and collective grief, and way too many “isms” and biases to count. But reflecting on the power of spiritual resistance, collective hope, and resilience reminds me what...

In a previous blog posting, I mentioned a Study Circle that was formed to embrace and walk with one of our newest members in the Congregation.   The next topic of study is Community – one of the four pillars of our life.   The others are prayer, study, and ministry.   During the preparation for this week’s gathering, I contemplated both the materials provided for our study and my own experiences of having lived in communities.   Many nuggets of wisdom regarding community were quoted in the study materials, but the one that most resonated with me was an article from our Constitution which says: “ When values and goals are held in common, gifts nurtured, mistakes forgiven,  and when persons are consistently and warmly loved, we grow together toward  the ideal set forth by Fr. Samuel [our founder].” Reflecting upon that statement, I realized that this is truly my experience of life-giving communities; and like you, I have had many engagements ...