Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Lately, the concept of   Hospitality   has been in the forefront of my days.     Even the Scriptural readings for this past Sunday have focused on offering hospitality – Abraham and Sarah greeting and providing a meal for travelers outside their tent, Martha and Mary providing food & beverages and a listening ear when Jesus came to enjoy their company.     I recently read a novel called  Martha  based upon the Mary, Martha, and Lazarus stories in the Gospel. Throughout the story, gracious hospitality was extended to guests who appeared at their gate.     My sisters and a cousin came to visit the home where I live last weekend.  In that case, the hospitality was reciprocal.  Since I am still in full-time ministry and they are retired from full-time employment, they brought the first evening’s supper and ideas of “adventures” they’d like to explore during the weekend.  I provided beds, showers, a...

My journey started with a determination to respond to God’s call. I would follow the steps and see if doors would open to a Black woman requesting membership. I would follow all the steps and if the doors did not open, I could say with a clean heart, God I tried. I requested to experience living in “community” that was granted. I lived a semester with sisters and experienced their prayer life, daily routines, celebrations, house meetings, ministries, and concerns. We became family together.     When I asked to start the entrance process the answer was yes and the rest is history.   There is not only room for sisters of color, but also a need for representation of sisters of color in religious life.   Pat Rogers, OP Glendale, WI

During the past 15 months, in addition to family calls, I called four people on a regular basis.  This was important for me, as I hope it was for them, because our ministry has always been relationship-based.  But a phone call is not as satisfying as a face-to-face visit.  So with great joy I celebrated when I became fully vaccinated.  Now I could have real visits from others who were fully vaccinated.       Last week I was able to invite two different people to my home. What a thrill it was to prepare lunch for one and breakfast for the other. This is something I have truly missed.  There is something very special about inviting someone to your table, sharing conversation, sharing your home, and being present to one another in a face-to-face visit.  In preparing for my guests' arrival I try to think of what would be the best way to show I am happy to see them and that I treasure their presence.  This helps me to focus on them and n...

I love Celebrations!!  Who doesn’t?  Last week was a week of celebrations.  My sisters and I gathered at my youngest sister’s (Janet) home.  It was Sister’s Week, a yearly event during which the five of us celebrate being sister to one another.  While there, we hosted a baby shower for Janet’s daughter-in-law and newest grandchild, a little boy much anticipated and longed for after Ami’s 3 miscarriages.  The new baby has an older brother who is 16.  What a change and celebration for that family! We also celebrated Janet’s birthday by participating in a murder mystery train ride.   Between courses of a five-course dinner, actors did scenes from a murder mystery play in each of the dining cars.   It was up to the train riders to guess the murderer and the motive.   We shared in the meal, delightful conversation, and of course, speculations regarding “who done it.”   None of us made the correct deduction, but we celebrated well....

July is for picnics, fireworks and family.   In my youth, I felt God calling me to be part of a big family.   This July I am thinking of my family that includes: ·       -   a Chinese woman who we quizzed on civics questions, as she prepares for her citizenship interview ·       -   a friend who, with one of our sisters, is spending time making her Hogan in Navaho country more livable (We stayed home to dog sit.)          - men and women of EXPO (Ex Prisoners Organizing)      -  my blood sister’s family, where we share great stories of today and yesterday. A New York Times article Sunday, July 2 caught my eye.   “Wary When Alone With Worker of Opposite Sex? Join the crowd.” By Clair Cain Miller, who made the question come to life through a survey of 5,300 people. As a Dominican Sister who has made a permanent commitment to God through the gift of celibacy, I f...

These past several weeks have been an extended time of family celebration - a time truly representative of what religious life, Sinsinawa Dominican life, and life, in general, is about. A time of honoring the cycle of life and the family that makes that journey with us.   The Celebration of my first profession of vows on August 2 came on the heels of a huge family reunion that we call Community Days.   These distinct yet intertwined joyful events had as bookends goodbyes said to two of our beloved Sisters - Florus Castle and Jean Brennan.   As I sought the mercy of God and of all, Florus and Jean had fulfilled their profession promises, ‘even unto death’.   What an extraordinarily graced cycle of birth, life, death, and birth into new life! During these sacred celebrations, my family experienced the truth that they were not losing a sister (or mother) but are now loved by and part of a much bigger family… a family of Sisters, Brothers, Associates, Mound brot...

A few weekends ago, I attended my first Inter-Community Pre-Novitiate (ICPN) Retreat at the Siena Retreat Center in Racine. To be very honest, I did not know what to expect, so I was nervous, self-conscious and yet excited to meet new people and to reflect on my journey thus far. Our first evening began with a prayer and “get-to-know-you” activity, it was during that time that all of my fears and anxiety melted away. I felt that I was at a family gathering. From Salvatorians to Capuchins, and Viatorians, it was wonderful to meet, “the family.” I was also overjoyed by how beautiful and diverse our group is, with people from all over the world: Brazil, Iraq, South Korea, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Poland.   My spirit felt completely nourished and recharged as I was able to experience bits of the different cultures that were shared whether through stories, dance, or music!   Our weekend was a time of reflection which allowed us to be open and honest about our transitions ...

Last month, my family had a wedding.  My nephew, the oldest son of my twin sister, was married.  It was amazing to share in this journey with my twin as she and her husband accompanied their son and his bride-to-be in this life transition.  Some of the accompaniment was financial, some sharing included plain old practical advice, but most of it involved trying to move out of the way as the young couple negotiated all that it means to start a new life together…for two to become one.  Our families are often signposts for us.  They point us to the ways God finds us and loves us.   They remind us of God’s call to mercy, to generosity, and to our vocation to be God’s presence in good times and bad.  What a gift!!! Who is a signpost of God for you today? Peggy Ryan, OP Whitefish Bay, WI