Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

This week is a very special week in our congregation because two of our sisters are making their final, or perpetual, profession.  This is a most joyous event, but also a solemn one.  We are filled with joy that God has chosen them to join us for the rest of their lives, but we also stand in awe at their courage in this time of uncertainty. Since I live with one of these sisters, I have been personally involved in her discernment process, and because of this, I have reflected on my own commitment made more than 50 years ago. What a gift and a grace it has been in my life, and I pray that our two sisters will always see this as gift, too. Our whole congregation joins together in asking God's abundant blessings on them.   Marie Lucek, OP Madison, WI

The pandemic has distinctively changed my perspective on life. I find blessings that I used to take for granted and welcome new learnings. Relationships have strengthened and new ones formed. My spiritual life is deepening as well.   Each summer for the past 20 years I have participated in a retreat entitled  Nurturing Life’s Blessings . Last year we had a “virtual” retreat and I missed being together, in person, in a place that is  extra  holy ground at Siena Retreat Center in Racine, WI.    This summer we gathered at Siena Retreat Center. What a difference! We adapted to the new protocols for safety and also appreciated being together. The gifts of nature and being with others truly nurtured my spirit. I celebrate this sacred time. Being on the team and creating the rituals for each day expands my love of life. I am also privileged to companion women on their journey and learn from them. The Spirit’s presence was palpable.   Lake Michigan graces the ...

In the past two weeks, I’ve been to a dentist and was privileged to be with a dying sister. Although certainly not comparable circumstances, one is often (for me) filled with some fear (dentist), the other with sadness.   The dental hygienist was new to me. She spoke softly. Somehow, our limited conversation turned to the existence of spirits, blessings and to a providential God. She shared a beautiful story of her mother’s death and the many ways God spoke to her in the months leading up to it. I was deeply touched and grateful that she felt moved to share her story. From the unlikely place of a dentist’s chair, I was fed by the Spirit through this woman.    Faced unexpectedly with her impending death, a sister wondered how she was to prepare for it. I pondered that for a long time, later sharing that wondering with a sister residing at the facility where I minister. After some thought, she quietly said, “I don’t know…I guess we prepare with our entire life.” How true! W...

I never imagined that once I joined the Dominicans I would return to my hometown to live. Every place I have been called/sent has been an adventure—Suburbs of big cities, alternative school in Omaha, subsidized housing in Tulsa, Trinidad and Tobago, between black towns and white suburbs in Mississippi.  Each has been a place of learning and caring.  Each place and now Madison has been a place of community.   “Community” sounds like such an ideal place.  And yet It has both blessings and tensions.  We ourselves are blessing and tension.  Learning from each one gives us experience needed to live in a neighborhood, a parish community, a city of challenges, a polarized nation. I am looking at the back yard, where I brought the commercial composter from 3 other places where I lived in Madison. Each place had its challenges and blessings.  Each place had banana peels and vegetable leftovers to compost and turn into nourishm...

How do you say “Thanksgiving”? “THANKSgiving” or “ThanksGIVING”? According to an article in  Mental Floss , if Thanksgiving, which is thoroughly an English word, actually behaved like an English word, the stress would be on the first syllable. (Think of words like SEAfaring, BABYsitting, HANDwriting, ALMSgiving, etc.) Linguist John McWhorter believes a shift to stressing the second syllable of Thanksgiving is reflective of the way our view of the holiday has shifted, that we “don’t truly think about Thanksgiving as being about thankfulness anymore.” I don’t know if I buy that…the word has always been “ThanksGIVING” for me and about gratitude. Maybe it’s a Midwestern thing.  However you pronounce it, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for the grace and abundance in our lives. In these turbulent times, it’s often easy to overlook our abundance and focus on scarcity and what we think we need. I am reminded of this quote, attributed to a variety of people:...

Each moment of each day I can tap into the grace of my life. I try to be aware of the ordinary blessings and my gratitude grows. Sometimes the blessings are so commonplace that I take them for granted. As I write to you today I have a visitor with me who comes each month and makes a “mini” retreat at Sinsinawa Mound. Her presence here makes me aware of many aspects of my daily blessings. She articulates the blessings she notices: . . . the beauty of our land, . . .the friendliness of our community, . . . our daily chanted community prayer and meaningful Eucharist. The more she comes the more blessings she expresses: . . . the broad experiences of our Sisters, . . .the wealth of our education and the opportunities we have to grow as life-long-learners, . . .our awareness of critical concerns of our world and cosmos. . .commitment to peace and justice. Most of all she notices the love and care of our Sisters for one another. When she leaves, my heart is filled with gratitude for my ...

It's raining again today!  We are well over our average for this month and it's only half-over! Groan. However, I must tell you I live in a rain forest so rain is part of our life, but when the rainfall goes over the usual amount it causes us all to groan. We expect rain but we don't let it stop us from doing things. We have parades in the rain, children go out for recess in the rain, soccer and baseball games go on when it rains. We know which vegetables and flowers to plant and which ones will rot.  We adjust to what we cannot change and we make the best of what we have. But because of the rain and also the darkness of winter the people of Juneau have created a great sense of community.  More activities happen indoors and neighbors know each other better and look out for one another, especially when a need arises. With only 30 days of sunshine a year we could be a grumpy people and complainers. Instead, we truly rejoice when we have one of those rare sunny ...

Recently a friend came to Juneau for a week, both to see me and to experience this section of Alaska. Since this is a scenic area with mountains, waterways, whales, and eagles, and more, I wasn't surprised when she began to exclaim about the beauty of everything she saw. However, she continued to be in awe with the beauty, shades of coloring, soaring eagles, etc., for the entire week! I then began to realize that, though I too drink in the beauty of my surroundings, maybe I take it for granted sometimes and don't appreciate it as much as I should. This led me to reflect on the possibility that I could also take people for granted. I live with one other sister--we take turns leading prayer, cooking, cleaning and shopping. However, I realized that beyond a cursory comment on a meal or a thank you for doing the dishes when it was my turn, I don't often tell her how much I appreciate the little things she does for both of us, for me. When we are both invited to dinner ...

Several days ago I spent a day taking down Christmas decorations in the church, visiting a parishioner on her 100th birthday, helping to count the Sunday collection money, and beginning the planning process for a funeral.  That night I made the comment: "I hope tomorrow will be a normal day."   "What ever did I mean by that?" I thought the next morning.  Did I want an easier kind of day?  Did I want less variety in my day?  After a couple of unexpected conversations I realized that this new day was not a "normal" one either.   Maybe there is no such thing as a "normal" day, since each day is unique.  Each day has its own challenges, its own gifts, its own blessings and opportunities to spread joy and love.  In order for me to live each day fully I must be open to those moments when God's grace is offered to me, but if I am only looking for a "normal" day I may miss some of the unique blessings of that particular day.   ...

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 ...

Recently, a group of Sinsinawa Dominicans gathered to celebrate a birthday.  A beautiful prayer, simple decorations, flowers from the garden, good food, and most of all, great conversation and lots of laughs made the evening very special.  The whole celebration was a community effort, done with great love and affection.   As Dominican women, life is often reduced to the basics – our love for God and for each other.  Our love for each other never stops there…it moves us in the very depth of our souls to bring God’s love to the world.  This love is our greatest celebration.  What are you celebrating this summer?                Peggy Ryan, OP Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin