Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

The title of this reflection may lead you to believe I am musing about the sunlight that has peeked through the cold, cold winter days of freezing rain, sleet, snow, and heavy clouds.  Though this pattern has described the last several weeks of the weather we’ve experienced lately, I am really contemplating a conversation I encountered with several of my Dominican sisters during breakfast recently. A couple of sisters shared stories about difficult times (dark, dark days, weeks, months, and even years) from their early lives in the congregation.   Though I didn’t share my own story at that particular time, I understood the pain and anguish those sisters must have undergone. As we continued pondering those experiences, one sister noted that the suffering did, in fact, make us stronger, gave us wisdom, and in the end enabled us to be who are today – powerful, durable, intelligent, prudent, hopeful women of faith able to share the “Good News” of Jesus with those who wi...

Saying ‘yes’ to religious life has resulted in additional opportunities to say ‘yes’ in a variety of other situations and circumstances.  I think that’s probably true for each of us, whatever our life’s call. Several months ago, one of my sisters asked if I would ride along when she drove Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP from the Mound to Chicago. Saying ‘no’ would not have been the end of the world for anyone involved. Saying ‘yes’, though, resulted in an unexpected gift, the chance to meet another sister from a different branch of the Dominican family tree. Sister Pauline Quinn started the prison dog-training program in 1981, a program now being used in prisons across the United States and around the world.  You can read more about her ministry, which includes aiding victims of trauma through her Pathways to Hope program, at http://www.bpofcourage.org .  Tonight, with the sisters with whom I live, I watched “Within These Walls”, a movie based on the inspir...

Attending a number of significant celebrations during the last couple of months has both buoyed me up and made me think about the role of celebrations in my life.  My older brother died on May 11; his wake and funeral were held a week later.  In mid-June, I attended the first profession of one of our novices, and a week later I returned to the Mound for a morning ceremony expressing gratitude toward the out-going leadership team and the afternoon installation ceremony of our new leadership team.  Last weekend, I was back at the Mound to celebrate with our 50- year Jubilarians. As are the wakes and funerals of our Sisters, my brother’s wake and funeral were celebrations of his life.   Dozens of details from the grandsons who carried his casket to the young granddaughter who played taps at his grave reflected the good life Tony had lived. In common with many ordinary good people, he and his wife concentrated on raising good children.   They, in turn, have con...

I have been reading Hope Sings, So Beautiful; Graced Encounters Across The Color Line by Christopher Pramuk. It is beautifully written and illustrated. Today, I find myself reflecting on the title of one of its chapters, “Entry Points.” Many times during the work day, I and my co-workers talk about ‘meeting clients where they are’ so that we can hopefully begin our best work. Recently, I saw a film “Paper Tigers” about an alternative high school that works with students who have been victims of trauma for most of their lives and the critical importance of hearing their stories to learn what happened to them (contrasted to what’s wrong with them) so that teaching can begin. For the past few days I have been thinking of a very special friend who had a stroke during the Thanksgiving holidays and underwent surgery to remove pressure on her brain. We are all waiting, hoping to know where to meet her in her recovery. There are so many ‘entry point’ opportunities throughout our days...