Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Our life as vowed women offers many opportunities to examine who we are and explore ways to live our mission - our purpose or calling. As a member of a planning committee of newer Dominicans representing 8 different congregations, I had such an opportunity two weekends ago in our first face-to-face meeting. Since last summer, 10 of us have been working on a gathering for newer Dominican women religious to come together to share our hopes and dreams for the future of religious life and share our ideas on how we might respond to the needs of our times. A few questions posed in our recent planning meeting included: “What is our 800 year Dominican history calling forth within us?” “How is our presence in the world reflected in the world?” “What steps are we called to take today?” We are hoping for over 100 Dominican sisters to attend the late-August event. It is very exciting to think of newer members from many different congregations representing different ministries, cultures, e...

This past week I had the privilege of being present with a family as they mourned the death of a beloved member. My friend, Diane, called me on September 5 to share the news that her dad just died. By rearranging my schedule and asking the sisters here in Westchester for assistance, I was able to clear my calendar to go to Racine. Those days were profound days of grace. Diane is a Racine Dominican.  We have been friends since we were both in vocation ministry beginning in 1992. Our relationship has deepened over the years. We have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, jubilees, and weddings together with our families and communities. The greatest strength is the love we share in the hard times—illness, suffering, and death. The bond of our Dominican life initially drew us together. As vocation directors we collaborated in sponsoring mission experiences and other ventures. Our Dominican bond continues to be an important connection for both of us. I came to k...

This weekend our novice, Sr. Kathy Flynn, joined 4 other novices to begin 10 months of their canonical novitiate at the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate (CDN). Each year a new group of novices comes together to create its own unique experience of community with fresh spirit, abundant gifts, and eagerness to grow in the Dominican tradition.  This group has already begun! The CDN provides a quality experience of Dominican community life, prayer, study, ministry, exposure to and practice of preaching skills, and personal growth for the novices of the member groups. The process of this collaborative experience is intended to: offer a rich novitiate experience, encourage a supportive peer group, share the giftedness and resources of the congregations involved, and promote the charism of the Order.  Like any new beginning this one requires a leap of faith for this is no ordinary year.  It’s a transformational time of opening oneself and learning about God, ...

What is calling you to newness this season? The tree out my window, barren a month ago, is now rich with new green leaves. So many seeds buried for the winter are sprouting, and the songs of birds announce hatchlings. Recently I responded to a call to dream and plan with a group that is taking a long look at our stewardship of the land at Sinsinawa, the Mound.  On Memorial Day, Mark Shepard came as a resource person to the group.  His vision of permaculture agriculture helps me to see that care of people, concern for fair distribution of resources and care of earth is one rich piece.  We hope to visit his farm, New Forest Farm, Viola, Wisconsin this summer. (see www.newforestfarm.net ) to see how permaculture might apply to the Mound. The call that I experienced in my youth, to give my life to care for others, and to search for and teach truth  has come together in a new way. We, Sinsinawa sisters, stated our vision and mission for 2011-2016 thi...

I’ve just returned from a Dominican Sisters Convocation.  These events, which occur every few years, brings Sisters from most of the Dominican congregations in the US and are another way of deepening our lives together. For me this is important because women religious are living through major shifts for our lives and future.  This is fine and events such as this brings friends together and forges new ones.  We celebrated the particularities of our congregations and the ‘mutualities’ of our Dominican life.  We come to know one another which will help us as there is increased collaboration among the congregations - not only among leadership but among members as well. I joined the choir during the convocation days and there is one song that continues to play in my mind and dance in my heart:  “I Am for You.”  It speaks of God being for us, Mary’s “yes” at the Annunciation, Jesus’ with us to the end and more. In the vowed li...