Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Recently I spent some time visiting with my sister and her family.  She has three daughters.  Mira the eldest, adores horses.  She takes riding lessons and we went with her one evening to feed and groom the horses and tidy their stables.  I felt proud of my niece taking time to do this community work and doing it so well!  Anya and Riane, shown in the photo with me, LOVE to play.  So I spent a lot of time with them PLAYING!  It was fun to go to the park with them.  They dared me to swing and slide, climb and long jump, all of which I did to their glee!  On other days I was happy (and relieved) just to walk alongside them talking with them as they rode on their bikes.   I don't play often enough so I was grateful to my nieces for inviting me to share not only in their work but also in their play.  What a delightful balance!    I returned home rejuvenated.   As you busy yourself with work, do you also tak...

I’ve been feeling particularly uninspired lately. It’s not that life has been overly difficult, nor has it been lacking; it’s just been… well, normal.   But I could use some inspiration in a few areas of my life: I’d like to be more creative at work, I’m preparing for some transitions… not to mention I had a blog post to write. So about two weeks ago, I began actively looking for inspiration.   I’m not sure I found it, but I did begin to notice things.   Things I otherwise would have missed, like the flowers blooming at the side of our house.   A sunset.   A stranger’s hearty laugh in the grocery store. My actions and attitudes changed, too, however slightly.   I went for an extra evening walk.   I spent a few quiet minutes with a friend before rushing off to my next task.   I reflected on my day and named a few things I was grateful for before falling asleep at night. I realized that maybe, in its own way, my lack of inspiration ...

Pope Francis in one of his many addresses asked the question, "How can we proclaim Christ to a generation that is continually changing?" Being on retreat last week gave me much time to reflect on this question.  On my eight days retreat I encountered the great masters in Meister Eckhart, Catherine of Siena and Thich Nhat Hahn. To me they all seem to be answering that question of Pope Francis in their own way: detachment, love and compassion.  The daily readings from 1 John 4 also supported those attributes. How can I empty myself of all that is unnecessary and unite myself with God who's very nature is love? How can I be detached so that I can become who I was born to be?  To welcome Christ being born in me anew each day? I live in a world/generation that is continually changing, yet God remains the same, however, the ways that I encounter this God is always changing.  How do I take the time out of my busyness to recognize this God daily? "God is the sou...

What must it be like to leave the family you were born into, and to leave behind the language and culture of your country to go halfway around the world?  Frightening!  That was the experience of our immigrant ancestors.  My parents, for example, came to this country as children, my father from Armenia and my mother from Turkey.  They had so much to learn! Sister Vong, O.P. and Sister Lien, O.P. are currently living at our motherhouse at Sinsinawa WI.  They left their Dominican Convent in North Vietnam and accepted a mission in obedience to come to the U.S., to learn English and then to acquire degrees in order to go back to their sisters in North Vietnam to teach them.  Their teachers? Many of the retired ( former teachers) who reside at Sinsinawa. Several weeks ago, Sister Vong renewed her vows as a Dominican.  The ceremony was a truly bi-lingual experience.  Lien welcomed everyone – in both Vietnamese and English – with a...

A few days ago one of our sisters died. Her name was Victoire Beausoleil. Some sisters had known her as their second-grade teacher. I came to know her in the later years of her life. I was then a candidate for the congregation and she was living at our mother-house. Her welcome was an inspiration and source of encouragement to me. And it was not only Victoire. I remember Consuelo Fissler  - with whom I had a special bond as we shared the same birthday –and so many others whose names I have forgotten. They lived their commitment as joyful, contemplative women of the Gospel as they built relationship with the newer members. This year, as I go back once more, several of my friends will no longer be there. And yet there will be others. Our congregation is alive. Sisters, who were out on mission before, are now at the Mound and Villa. As we renew our relationships, we drink deep of the energy that flows in us and through us. We know that ‘at the heart of minis...

As I write this blog I am enjoying the beautiful sunshine (and later heat) of a Kentucky morning.  How good God is to give us the seasons to enjoy.  As in our lifetime we also enjoy seasons.  One of the great blessings of religious life is the friendships we develop throughout our lives as sisters to one another.  About two weeks ago I traveled to the motherhouse in Sinsinawa, WI, for the wake and funeral of a dear friend, Sister Jeanne.  I had lived with Sister Jeanne twice and also ministered near her in the South for many years.  She was a person who was not afraid to venture into new territory.  She was the first parish administrator in the Diocese of Memphis, TN, and dedicated to her ministry.  Jeanne was a great cook, had a wonderful sense of humor and always took her commitment to community seriously.  Although not well for a long time she was brave and positive about life. My companion on this journey to wis...