Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

For most of my 9 years as a Sinsinawa Dominican, I have ministered among women on the margins of society; margins set by poverty, sexism, racism, domestic violence, and addiction among others. I know firsthand the plight of working women and working mothers, having been a single mother myself. I didn’t know what this life would be like but quickly became aware of the many privileges we as women religious have. It was from that limited, therefore faulty, perspective that made me hesitate ministering directly with our elderly sisters – I thought they had everything they needed and had all the help they needed. Thankfully, providence intervened. Last summer, I began ministering with our sisters at an assisted living facility in south-central Wisconsin while taking Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) classes. I see more clearly now something I thought I knew well … that need is everywhere. Hurt and loneliness are everywhere. Longing to live a life of meaning is common to us all.    ...

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is a 10-day celebration in my home town; known for great food, art works from around the country and music from local and internationally acclaimed musicians. Jazz, rhythm and blues, zydeco, gospel. Whatever the music, it always includes unscripted improvisation. There is something uniquely amazing about improvisation, even when sitting (or dancing) among thousands of people. Not only does improvisation enrich an experience of music, but also theater, preparing a meal, discovering a solution to a project we’ve taken on, etc. Improvisation inspires us to broaden our imagination. With study and practice, it invariably enhances the original idea! Some of us, however, rely so heavily on carefully scripted notes that we miss out on the joy of freely choosing ‘yes’ and participating in a new creation. Women religious are engaged in many conversations these days, about the ...