Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Every year as Christmas approaches, I remember Howard Thurman’s reflection about the challenges laid down like a gauntlet by the arrival of Jesus in our world.  When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the Kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among people, To make music in the heart. We know the truth of this. Even while we celebrate with family and friends and colleagues during this season, we are aware underneath it all that our world is hurting:  refugees are without homes and welcome, people are starving in spite of abundance, our border with Mexico is a place of fear and violence for asylum seekers, politicians have forgotten their responsibility for the common good, our beloved Earth suffers from our refusal to ...

Shore of Green Bay During my retreat this year, I had the immense privilege of walking in the footsteps of our founder, Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, a 19 th -century Italian Dominican Friar, whose first mission as an ordained priest was in the Upper Midwest territory of the U.S.   In 1831, he traveled to Green Bay.   As a missionary, Fr Samuel lived among the people.   He learned their cultures, including their languages.   He listened to those he served.   While in Green Bay, he opened a school for the Native American population.   He wrote spiritual works in the Winnebago and Chippewa languages.   He continually wrote to Congress and President Andrew Jackson about the treatment of the Native peoples. Today, my sisters and I are still trying to walk in the footsteps of this remarkable, joyful Dominican.   We try to be one with those with whom we share mission by sharing in their daily lives.   We open ourselves up to new cultures and ...