Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Sr. Lystra Long made final profession ten days ago. Today she is wearing a T-shirt that says on the front: “I Love religious life” and on the back: “and believe in its future.” Do you love what you are doing? Do you believe that what you are doing has a future? Lystra is the youngest professed member of the congregation. Her enthusiastic “yes” to religious life is a shot-in-the arm for all of us. But you know what? Our sisters who have been professed for years and years also do that for us. Their continued “yes”, their enthusiasm for the life to which they committed so many years ago, all of these say: I love religious life… and I believe in its future. For Lystra’s profession sixteen sisters and one associate from the US were present to support the six of us Trinidadian sisters and our associates. They brought greetings, and prayers and love from all the sisters, especially our ‘retired ‘sisters. The energy was palpable. It was saying ‘We love religious life and we believe in its f

My students and I have been spending time this November with the Dominican Order.   Some of these men and women are famous, like Catherine of Siena or Saint Martin de Porres.   Others are well-known in certain circles of Dominican life, such as our own Father Samuel Mazzuchelli or the four cornerstones of our Congregation, Sisters Clara Conway, Ignatia Fitzpatrick, Josephine Cahill, and Rachel Conway.   And, some, are anonymous, such as the martyrs of Japan and Vietnam.   We are celebrating the memory of all those, known or unknown, who over the centuries have chosen to live visibly with the proclamation of the Gospel.    These men and women are leading the way for us.   They are beacons of light.   Throughout their lives, each one has given us an example of how to choose love over hate, when prayer can make a difference, and where real happiness lies. Saint Dominic, one night in prayer, saw the heavens full of holy men and women who had served God.   But, he was very sad b