Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Settling-in can be an unsettling process.  Three weeks into a new ministry, a new community and living in an unfamiliar city, I’m far from feeling grounded.  I’m still trying to establish my routines, navigate interpersonal dynamics and negotiate the ins-and-outs of everyday life.  Big, new beginnings like these can be bittersweet reminders of how I remain a deeply flawed and insecure person.  There’s no lens like major life change or being unsettled to clearly view my fears, my sense of entitlement, and my need for control—this is the gift of itinerancy. Nevertheless, I sense a calmness and confidence settling-in.  I’m finally finding the time to take a breath and appreciate all the potential that this newness has to offer.  Moments like these are the closest we come to having a clean-slate—and they become what we allow them to become.   A supportive, justice-minded community, a life-giving ministry with solid, competent colleagues, a monu...

Have you ever had to start something up from 'scratch' as we would say here in Trinidad, “Meaning to start from the beginning?”  I have been doing that in these last couple of months. The feeling I have experienced from beginning something new has been filled with excitement, fear, nervousness and anticipation.  I personally don't have the experience of being pregnant, however, something tells me it's a little like what I have been experiencing these last months.  I feel like l am figuratively pregnant and about to give birth to something special. I have been inspired through my experiences and interaction with young adults and by the Holy Spirit, to propose to the archbishop in my archdiocese to begin a ministry tailored specifically for young adults ages 18-35.  I got the initial support from the archbishop and I took it from there. I can honestly say that I am passionate about young adult ministry, to the point that sometimes it's the last and first thin...

Happy Labor Day!  No matter how old I get the Labor Day weekend always reminds me of new beginnings; the start of a new school year after the more relaxed atmosphere of summer.  As a child getting ready for the school year I always went shopping with my Aunt Marie for a new pair of school shoes and then stocked up on all the required school supplies.  Everything felt new and fresh.  No matter the failures or misfortunes of the previous school year, September offered a chance for a new beginning. God offers us this same opportunity.  No matter our screw-ups, our poor choices, we always have the opportunity to begin again.  Jesus gives us the opportunity to drink deeply of the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.  This grace helps us to discern how our personal gifts can be used to build the reign of God in our fragile world.  Two of my good friends have left home this summer to answer the call to religious life.  To what is ...