Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Since early childhood I loved to learn. I was an over achiever so I put forth a lot of effort. Learning provided meaning and purpose in my life. I connected learning with school so I have a love for education.  When I entered the Sinsinawa Dominicans and became a teacher I felt right at home. I’m grateful for the educational opportunities I’ve had. After my teaching degree I went on to receive two masters and certification. What blessings these experiences have been. Beyond formal study, Dominicans are life-long learners. In fact, study is an essential part of our charism. The longer I live the more I realize the many ways we learn. Learning has become a way of life that enriches me with meaning and purpose. Living at the Mound I have so many opportunities to study and learn. Mealtime is a great source of learning. The sisters provide a wealth from their life experience. There are many different study groups, mini-courses, prayer groups, book clubs, seminars and regu...

Two sisters reminded me this past week that I am called to be a life long student. I stopped in to see Sr. Margaret.   We greeted one another and before I could start a conversation, she asked me to wait. She slowly began to speak in Spanish and was able to complete a whole sentence.   A few years ago, she told me she hoped one day to converse with my parents in their Spanish language culture.   Sr. Margaret started learning Spanish in her 90s in spite of her vision impairment. I visited Sr. Catherine next.   She told me she was learning how to use her new IPAD.   This was a birthday gift from her nephew “to stimulate her intellect.” She asked if I could show her how to take pictures and email them to her family so she could keep in touch with them.   As I walked her through each step, she would write them down. Sr. Catherine just celebrated her 100 th birthday in May. These two sisters are life long students and they share and use what they l...