Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

This week the university where I minister is celebrating graduation.     And, it is also the week in which the United States celebrates Mother’s Day.     I saw so many ties between these two events in the past few days.  Students remembering and praising their mothers (and fathers and other family members) for the love and support they received.   Gratitude, study, and the sharing of life with another are examples of what we are called to as followers of Christ.  It is dates like graduation and Mother’s Day that remind us of the gift and privilege that is ours when we pass on what we receive.   When we allow the hope and grace and goodness that we are filled with to overflow onto and into the lives of those around us.  The Catholic Worker Founder, Dorothy Day, said, “the best things to do with the best things in life is to give them away.”   This past week I saw such great examples of what our lives can...

Community “The search – for self, for wisdom, for love, for truth, for justice, for God – is strenuous and unending.   We need good companions in order to persevere in it.   In good company, in a community of conviction, the quest never loses its relevance, its urgency or its savor.” -   Kay Ashe, OP These words by Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Kay Ashe have been a source of much reflection for me lately as I continue through my candidacy year.   I find myself surrounded with “good companions” with whom I share not only vespers and meals, chores and groceries, cars and bank accounts, but also deeply challenging and deeply beautiful moments.   As someone who works directly with immigrant children, the national news has been deeply disturbing.   On a personal level, I have grieved some losses of loved ones in past months.   In the midst of this, life in community has been a source of genuine support, encouragement and growth.   “We hav...