Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

It's been an unusually dry season so far.  Yet, the bougainvillea plant blooms and it's brilliant flowers delighted all who came here for retreat.  In addition, the trees are shedding their leaves and I have managed to resist raking them all up.  Those I do rake, I compost.  It has been fun over the years watching this apparent waste turn into nutrient rich earth.  A deeper reflection makes me think that there is nothing too dry for God and God can take apparent nothingness and transform it into something good and beautiful and useful.  The retreat house has hosted many groups this lent.  Special among them for me were the students.  For morning prayer I took them around the garden stopping at various 'stations' to reflect and pray with different aspects of nature - the bougainvillea, the trees, the dry leaves, the compost, the water, the vegetables.  The idea being to make them more aware of the need to be grateful, to reverence and car...

This coming Saturday, November 7th, Dominican laity, nuns, sisters and Friars worldwide will officially begin the 800th Jubilee Year of the founding of the Order of Preachers.  Here in Trinidad we have been preparing for this great event for some time now.   Our celebrations will officially kick off on Saturday too with Eucharist at the only monastery here on the island.  In fact most of the celebrations we have planned will take place at the monastery to facilitate the nuns' participation.    The history of Dominicans in Trinidad is as old and as rich as the history of the Church here!  Dominicans Friars, sisters and nuns sent out on mission, built many of our churches and schools.  I have vivid memories of the excitement it generated among us as children when we would see the parish priest, fully robed, coming up the road to visit with us at home.  Those were the days!  As I reflect on this time ...

Like many people, I am fascinated by Pope Francis.  I know that he most likely won't change church doctrine.  However, I am drawn to his philosophy of encounter and living into the abundant joy of the gospel.  Our belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of this joy. In the days that he was in Cuba and the United States of America I remember feeling proud to be a Catholic and proud of the pope.  There have been few times in the past when I have felt this way and few times when I have felt like this about a pope. I know that Pope Francis and the church are far from perfect.  I know that there are many sins that the church have committed against those it has been called to protect and love.  In spite of this Pope Francis makes me want to experience that joy of the gospel that he so often speaks of.   He experiences people as opportunities of encounter were we are called to not look at our differences, but the way that we are ...

Last week I fell sick and shortly after, so did the sister I live with.  All ministries for the week had to be cancelled.  Well, that never happened!  Ministry continued in reverse!  It was a time to receive.  I received phone calls and emails; some visited bringing fruits; others brought medicine; some supplied soup, juices and coconut water; others came by to water the plants;  some offered to take us to the doctor while others provided home remedies; one wanted to bring over some paw paw leaves to make paw paw leaf tea!   Another was more specific suggesting a recipe - take the baby pawpaw leaves, crush and squeeze them to extract the juice, and have a tablespoon every 6 hours or so.  I did try the tea and I did eat some crushed pawpaw leaves.  Not bad actually!!! As I write, the virus   lingers and I am not still not 100% well but surrounded by such care, I  am  experiencing a strong sense of wellbei...