Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

These are challenging and disturbing times to say the least.     Perhaps you have felt concerned and overwhelmed by all that is happening in our world.     The list is long:     too many wars on many fronts, our planet is in critical condition, so many immigrants needing a new place to call home, frightening virulent health issues worldwide and government disruptions in countless countries.     Here at home, we have our democracy teetering and people of various faiths strongly critical of each other.   Recently I was introduced to a ‘new’ song by our Dominican brother, Jim Marchionda, OP entitled ‘Become What We Pray’ and all of this angst began to settle, and I felt an inkling of hope.  It is a beautiful song, and you can go on  You Tube  to listen to it.  There are several hopeful phrases.  ‘When Believers truly practice what we pray’, is one of the lines that spoke to me.  I again realize t...

How do you define what or who is most important to you?  Where does your energy go?  What would you grab if you had to run out of a burning building? There are so many ways to ask each of us what really matters.  For Dominicans, our mission to share with others the fruits of our contemplation centers our lives around the life of Christ.  We name mercy, love, peace, and justice as our main concerns.  Prayer, study, community, and preaching make up the rhythm of our days and our nights.  We work to free ourselves, our Congregation, and our world from racism.  We join with others to find ways to live sustainably. Gun violence, the protection of our planet, being concerned for the equity and inclusion of all of God’s children, the plight of migrant refugees and immigrants searching for ways to feed their families, fair voting, and making sure that all those who have been marginalized can tell that we are with them….these ...

Contemplative kayaking along the edges affords me the opportunity to become more deeply aware of the many expressions of life. The amazing rocks and roots systems of gnarled fallen trees that bridge themselves between land and water and sprout all kinds  of new growth moss, grass, and plantings. They become warm places for turtles to climb on and soak up the sun. They become places for otters to play. Badgers can pull away small bits of dried twigs to build their dens. Herons stand sentinel in the cattails and mother ducks keep watchful eyes on their exuberant young chicks. Native plants flower around the edges, loons nest and eagles perch on the tops of the tall living trees and swoop down to fish.  We are so  blessed to be part of this amazing abundance of life expressing itself at this moment in time. Where do I belong in this tapestry of life? For  certainly I am an integral part. How do I honor all life? How do I honor all living beings? Contribute to the healin...

The Community's Cup is overflowing with Divine Cosmic Presence! You and I, along with all life, are privileged to sit and sip together around its rim.   Hand-picked leaves of compassionate love, forgiveness and inclusion have been seeped together to create this brew.   Really smell life's aromas.   Feel their textures. Taste their flavors. See similarities and differences in this ONE Cosmic Cup of Tea.   Eighty-five of us from twelve different countries (Nigeria, Spain, Philippines, Canada, Jamaica, Kenya, USA, Iraq, Lebanon, Belgium, England, Australia) attended an English boarding school, in Southern England. We slept, played, prayed, talked and ate together.   When Tea Time came around, each of us excitedly brought out our prized treat packages received from home to share at table.   As Sinsinawa Dominicans I believe we live on the rim of this Cosmic Cup, looking outward and looking inward. Grounded in Contemplative Wholeness. I personally imagine the Co...

Are you awake to the  sacrament of the present moment? What a gift to really live in the NOW! That’s all we have. The more I choose to practice mindfulness, I am able to “wake up” and welcome each day with a grateful heart. What a privilege to assist our sisters in these uncertain times as we learn to “be” and live more fully in the present moment. Together we are “waking up” to this day, discovering the sacredness of each moment.    Brother David Steindl-Rast shares a simple practice  that leads to grateful living. He encourages us to:           Stop!  Be present. . . awake. . .alert . . .aware!   Look!  Gain perspective. . .let go of judgment. . .be open. . .live in awe!      Go!  Cultivate a sense of possibility. . .deepen your appreciation for life. . .             be creative. . .make a difference!   Brother David’s “A Network for Grateful...

Let’s celebrate St. Patrick’s Day—everyone is Irish on that day. Right? Though Ancestry.com testing might not indicate I’m Irish, the influence of the Irish culture lives within me. I will claim to be Irish by association.   On March 17 my “Spirit” circle will celebrate by sharing our insights from our study of Celtic spirituality. It’s my turn to choose our topic, offer resources, and facilitate our conversation. I’ve wanted to discover the essence of Celtic spirituality and I found it resonates with who I am.   Spirituality is a way of expressing who we are and how we live out what we believe. A central wisdom of the Celts is that all life is sacred and God is always with us, in us, all around us in the ordinariness of our lives.     The great discovery for me is how Celtic spirituality is so similar to Dominican spirituality. Celts have monastic roots. They pray always, not enclosed in a monastery but live in community wherever they are. Contemplation and stu...

On the wall at the end of the Diamond Walkway connecting the main dining room with the Foyer at the Mound hangs a huge vertical poster showing prairie bluestem grass – a staple of the original prairie of this part of the country.     The poster is life-size – showing the 5 feet height of the blooming plant and the 8 feet depth of its roots!     Because of these deep roots, the plant is “protected from danger and disasters, like wildfires and drought.”     Wow is what I think every time I see it.     I never thought roots would go so deep….and that leads me to thinking about the roots that protect me from other dangers – like despair or cynicism, self-absorption or ennui, jealousy or indifference.     The deeper I sink my roots in the sacred mystery of God, “rooted in love,” as St. Paul says, the more I strive to deepen my roots in pursuit of truth through study and contemplation, I will find that I have what I need to lead me through the...

These days of national, global, environmental upheaval are a challenge for me. Yes, some days the messiness of life can be challenging and very disconcerting.  It is an invitation for me to lean into where I feel rooted.  It is there where I need to breathe.   First, I lean into gratitude.  Where is it pulsating around or within me? I take hope in the witness and the work of my vowed sisters.  Look at what good work they are doing down at the border with our ‘southern’ sisters and brothers.  Or note the teaching that is happening with young children.  Can I  hear the compassion and empathy spoken to our service to the elderly? Whether in Bolivia, Trinidad or Washington, DC, who is speaking truth to power? Meditation, mindfulness, contemplation is also salve to this messiness.  It is before the Holy that I learn . . .                   "to hold...

This   is one of my favorite quotes from St. Thomas Aquinas. It is at the heart of my Dominican vocation. As much as I am reluctant to leave my comfortable warm bed when the alarm goes off at 5:30 I do appreciate the quiet freshness of the early morning.  At this time of year, it’s very dark and the moon and bright stars are my companions. I sit and watch in stillness as the sky becomes lighter and a thin sliver of red or orange moves along the horizon, slowly widening to welcome the rising sun.  I drink in the beauty and am grateful for the gift of the new day. As the light dawns, I eat my oatmeal watching as the chickadees, nuthatches, finches, come to my bird feeder. The cardinal and Juncos feed from the seeds that are scattered.   They take only what they need and fly off into the adventure of their day. I too fly off, to catch my shuttle which takes me to Edgewood College where I teach Digital Art and Design to undergraduates in my 8 o’clock class...

A very wise mentor suggested that as part of my spiritual journey, I might incorporate eating an apple into my prayer life, a metaphorical way of getting to the core of my spirit and the questions that lie there. We use the word ‘core’ more often than we may realize, in phrases and idioms like “getting to the core of the matter”, or the “earth’s core”, or of businesses that use “core competencies” to evaluate their employees. One of our Sinsinawa-sponsored ministries –Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin – has as its motto, “Cor ad Cor Loquitur” - “heart speaks to heart” – a dialogue between souls, based in compassion, leading to understanding. When we are open to prayer that spirals us ever closer to the Sacred Center, we will discover at our core seeds. They are like God’s breadcrumbs, leading us to further questioning, deeper searching, and more profound union with the One who scattered them. I am grateful for this new prayer experience and what it has meant to me thi...

The primary way that I’ve been getting around and becoming familiar with Denver is by riding my bicycle.  This city is an ideal home for bikers, too—between the bike-friendly public transit, the abundant bike lanes and the extensive trail system you can pretty much get anywhere. I’ve found that biking these trails provides some of the best space for contemplative time and personal reflection.    It recently dawned on me that there are some similarities between those exploratory rides and the journey that has been my discernment of religious life.  The trail infrastructure in and around Denver is excellent—it’s well-planned and carefully thought-out and clearly took years to develop.  Similarly, the discernment process that I’ve experienced with the Sinsinawa Dominicans has been solidly founded, well-developed and thoughtfully designed over time. My first time on a trail, there are often mysterious forks where the signage at a given juncture is confusing...

"Ok, I'm old."   That is what I say to the confirmation students during their retreat day prior to receiving the sacrament.   Then I tell them a couple of stories from my 'distant' past. I begin this blog entry with that thought because this past week something happened that took me to a similar memory. In the late 60's, I stay up all night riveted to the TV with my workbook from a geology class I had taken because WE were landing on the moon. Perhaps I would not have consciously thought of the two astronauts as representing the whole of humanity but looking back I do.   What happened this past week?   WE flew past Pluto.   Ok, a stellar probe flew past, but humanity has a marked moment with this event. What about the holy 'fly bys' that are happening in us and among us and around us. When someone or a group does something that is remarkable. Recently I heard about a group making a contemplative retreat who were sent throughout New York City...

I’ve always loved shoes!   When I was younger I thought they needed to be high heels…   Now I realize that they don’t, and I can look for other things that I want.   I go beyond comfort (which is a given ).   Last week I was out shopping and I saw a pair of shoes that met all my expectations.   They were both comfortable and soft .   They were RED, and, best of all, they were on SALE!   I had to have them!! Not only that, but in the past week I’ve found plenty of things to wear them with.   Needless to say, I absolutely love my new red shoes!   They’re perfect for the nights I am at the hospital as chaplain.   They’re quiet and lightweight, easy to slip on and off.   And I can even wear them when I go to a Wisconsin State Prison, which I will this week.   As I sit in a circle with others I’ll notice their shoes.   They do not have the luxury of shopping, as I do.   And many of them cannot afford to buy the at...

Happy New Year!   As I was praying this morning I kept wondering, “What happened to 2013?”  It must be a sign of getting old!  However, I suspect that all of us experience a too-fast pace of life and wonder where our time has gone.  I relate to Tanya’s blog from this week where she has promised herself more stillness, more silence in her life. Yesterday’s gospel was the prologue of the Gospel of John…”In the beginning…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”   In one of the books I use for daily prayer Sr. Pat Kozak, CSJ, offered a reflection on the “unfinishedness” of our life.   Is there anything about 2013 that felt unfinished in your life?   Perhaps a relationship that cooled?   Some project you were working on that you just couldn’t seem to put together?   Things you hoped to do to help others that you just didn’t get to?   Well, the good news is that the Word, Jesus Christ, dwells among us.   And the unfinishedne...

Maori Madonna and Child, New Zealand At the beginning of Advent I gave a Day of Reflection entitled:  Advent – A Season for Everyday Mystics. I borrowed from an article I read in the journal for Spiritual Directors – Presence – in which the author (Ramona Harris) suggested these stepping stones for our inner mystic:   Noticing, Awareness, Attentiveness, Appreciation, Making Connections, Living Authentically, Joy, Creativity, Stillness and Love.   What would happen to us if we put these into our everyday lives?   Transformation! I went on to suggest four Advent mystics as guides:   Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph – as we read their stories in the infancy narratives of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.   There we would see these stepping stones unfold in their lives. In these remaining Advent days – take time to nurture your inner mystic.   Invite these biblical women and men to be your guides.   Don’t stop there!   Take this in...