Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

“Zoom” used to mean “move very fast in your favorite vehicle” Now we say “I am zoomed out”.  I attend more meetings and events now that I no longer get in my car to zoom from one meeting to the next.  I just push a few buttons on my computer.   Two ZOOMS one after the other were helpful to me as I work with others to advocate for changes in the criminal justice system.     Where does your passion for justice lead you?   There are so many worthwhile initiatives.     After my second ZOOM, I stayed on to talk with my coworker.  What do we need to do? Where should we go from here? Then my friend shared a poem from Martha Postlethwaite, which I share here:   Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life And wait there  patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it. Only then...

As we step into the practices and  opportunities of this Lenten season I am aware that a whole year has gone by in our Covid reality. My nature appreciates solitude and my own company, but I do so miss my sisters. Even though I know they are close by and that I have lots of zoom and FaceTime opportunities, like millions all over the world I miss all the in person gatherings. My closest companions these days are the birds that flock to the seeds I put on my balcony. I have Chickadees, Cardinals, Woodpeckers , Juncos, Finches, Sparrows, Mourning Doves and the occasional Bluejay. I have learned  lots from these feathered ones this year.   How to take just what I need. How to share. How to take turns. How to stay  alert. How to just BE.   I think most of all they remind me of my own place in the great scheme of things. Like them I am but one expression of this sacred diversity of life. The birds, the trees, the lake awaken me to my small unique p...

I could never have imagined back in March that here, in August, we would still be sheltering from the virus. A necessity to protect each other.  It has changed how I register time. I used to look at my calendar for the whole week or month. Now I am much more cognizant of each separate day. I am aware of the blessing of life anew each morning-of the challenge to do my best each day - to love in the light of the Gospel and when I fail I ask forgiveness and start afresh with the morning light. FaceTime and Zoom have become necessities, as we stay connected while physically distancing.  The sisters I live within our complex meet formally twice a week on zoom to pray and connect. And right now our annual gathering of the Congregation is being conducted via Zoom.  Not what any of us would have wanted, as we yearn to gather, to greet each other in person. But for now - the little mosaic of zoom squares allows us to see and hear, conne...

Recently I was part of a Zoom sharing on what elements of life-giving Dominican Community we are currently experiencing,  Of course, everyone mentioned praying together, eating together, sharing household tasks and showing care for one another. Study was mentioned, too, either together or sharing what one has learned with the other members. In addition, I shared my experience of living in a multicultural, intergenerational community. Two of us are older and two are quite a bit younger. We find it enriching to learn from each other as we share life together. The younger members are so considerate of our limitations, but we older members are able to contribute quite a bit to our common life.  One sister is from Vietnam, so as she is getting to know our culture we are getting to know hers. We pray the Our Father in Vietnamese each night and we are treated some days to Vietnamese-based meals, such as spring rolls with peanut sauce. Artwork from Vietnam adorns our walls an...

It has been such a strange Lent Everything seems turned on its head. I have been home for four weeks  socially distancing. Privileged to have a home in which to stay safe. I have been out for a solitary walk each day noticing as the signs of Spring begin to show themselves. Robins come to my balcony,  still the juncos and chickadees and woodpeckers and purple finches and nuthatches. I’ve seen green creeping into the tops of trees, buds  barely visible, yet all waiting. I have been trying to focus on what is important.  Staying connected through FaceTime.  Praying with our sisters via Zoom.  Trying to connect with and teach my students online. It’s still surreal.  Watching the liturgies streamed from our mother house Praying for their safety and for all who are working so hard to support us during this pandemic. No end in sight. We wait. We all wait as we move through these holiest of days. We wait in expectation...