Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

So now whether we are celebrating Lent, the time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving or Spring the time of green shoots, pussy willow buds and robins, today is our day with its glorious diversity.  It makes me think of change.  The daily paper wrote, “Turn over a new leaf” What do I want to do differently this year?  How can I be more supportive to the people in my life?  How do I respect earth? How can I be a stronger part of movements that call for making our systems more human? How can I turn a business call into a moment in which I acknowledge another human being? I celebrate that I get to be in a multicultural community. The Sinsinawa Dominicans have roots from African countries, from Trinidad and Tobago, from Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America, from First Nations from Asian countries, the Pacific Islands, and from many European countries. Diversity is Dominican.  We come from and are sent to the diverse world wit...

Can it really be that the Advent Season has already come upon us while we have been waiting and watching – waiting for this horrible virus to die out, watching in horror as the numbers of people infected soar.  As we continue to wait and to watch.  I reflected upon the words “wait,” “watch,” and “alert.”  It seems to me that we human beings spend a good amount of time waiting.  As a child, I waited for my birthday, for Christmas, for my turn, for “hurts” to heal.  As the first born in a large family, I remember watching my mother wait for the arrival of the next child to be welcomed into the family.  We then were alert to that child’s first tooth, first steps, first day of school.  We hear in the Advent readings from the prophet Isaiah the Israelites waited for release from captivity in Babylon for 50 years.   That was a lifetime for most.   About 20 years ago, the Sisters in our congregation committed ...

Recently I was part of a Zoom sharing on what elements of life-giving Dominican Community we are currently experiencing,  Of course, everyone mentioned praying together, eating together, sharing household tasks and showing care for one another. Study was mentioned, too, either together or sharing what one has learned with the other members. In addition, I shared my experience of living in a multicultural, intergenerational community. Two of us are older and two are quite a bit younger. We find it enriching to learn from each other as we share life together. The younger members are so considerate of our limitations, but we older members are able to contribute quite a bit to our common life.  One sister is from Vietnam, so as she is getting to know our culture we are getting to know hers. We pray the Our Father in Vietnamese each night and we are treated some days to Vietnamese-based meals, such as spring rolls with peanut sauce. Artwork from Vietnam adorns our walls an...

In my last blog, March 15, I wrote about my passion for being a life-long learner. Then my learning experience took a sharp curve with two pandemics—the corona virus and the 400 year deadly racism virus. The blatant killing of Mr. George Floyd on May 25, 2020 set the world on fire. We cannot and must not ignore the urgent cry for justice. Learning, for me, now focuses intensely on this deadly racism virus. Over the past two weeks our sisters shared articles, videos, took part in teach-ins and dialogs about “Where do we go from here?” (Oprah’s question).  Our congregation made a public statement expressing our outrage, sympathy, and solidarity with people of color. We stand on the side of justice for all. On June 8 th  Joan Duerst, OP wrote in her blog about ways she has engaged in action for justice now. Our congregation’s commitment to being anti-racist and multicultural has reignited our resolve. Learning is not always enjoyable. Bryan Massingale, SJ has put a “fi...

We just celebrated St. Patrick's Day! It's a day of great music, dancing, everything green, including beer. I am not Irish but I enjoy celebrating this day because it taps into a cultural pride. Everyone gets into the spirit of the day. There are even buttons that say: Irish for the day. Our community has as one of its goals to become a multicultural, anti-racist congregation. One small way we can do this is to learn about festivities for each of the many cultures we are connected with. Part of my background is Polish. Three years ago I traveled to Poland and when I walked through the cities I felt I was walking on ground my ancestors would have walked on. It was a profound experience and made me appreciate my ancestry even more than before. It also made me more sensitive to the cultural roots of others, and I returned from that trip more eager to learn about and celebrate those cultures, too. How do you learn about/celebrate cultures that are not your own? M...