Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

I am in St. Catharine, Kentucky, meeting with Dominican sisters in temporary profession in the U.S. and their companions. Our group represents the Dominican Sisters of … Adrian MI, Blauvelt NY, Houston, Maryknoll NY, Mission San Jose, Dominican Sisters of Peace, San Rafael, Springfield IL, and Sinsinawa WI. We are a diverse group of women from Cuba, East Timor, Hungary, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam Nam, and the United States.  The main purpose of our group is to provide women in temporary profession and their companions an opportunity to connect, provide support to one another, and to get to know each other better as Sisters and family. This post should have been out earlier but is late for the following reasons: Gloria Arenio Agnes, MM       Isabel da Marjojes, MM               Christina Atienza, OP Kelly Biddle, OP         ...

Recently I led a retreat at Sinsinawa Mound Center entitled: Being Present to the Present: Living Mindfully with Gratitude. Whenever I prepare for a retreat I learn so much that enriches my life. The people who gathered were eager and attuned to the topic, making the retreat so spirit-filled. My title for the retreat was inspired by the anonymous saying:               Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery.               Today is gift, that's why we call it "the PRESENT." Often we are whizzing through our days, living somewhat mindlessly. We end up looking to the past or future. We miss being in the present moment. Living mindfully with gratitude is living life fully. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, has brought mindfulness into the mainstream. However the concept is not new. This practice is an integral part of the Christian l...