Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

One of the Dominican charisms is preaching the Word, but since I moved to Madison, I have not had many opportunities to preach.  So, when I was asked to be one of the preachers and leaders of Eucharistic Word services at an assisted living facility where many of our sisters are in residence I said yes. Though I appreciate the chance I have now to preach it doesn't mean this is an easy thing for me to do.  I spend time in prayer with the readings; I check the internet for the reflections of others; I sometimes agonize over what I will say.  However, as soon as I allow the Holy Spirit to guide me and trust that the Holy Spirit knows what the sisters need to hear, the words start to flow. Sometimes I'm surprised at what I am writing but I know I can trust the Spirit.  With the guidance of the Spirit, I will continue to say yes to preaching, difficult as it can be at times.   How have you known the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your life?    Marie Lu...

This past Thursday, on November 4 th , we celebrated the 215 th  birthday of our cherished founder, Samuel Mazzuchelli. Reports of celebrations came in from far and wide.  Of course, the Motherhouse and skilled care centers had a special Mass and dinner.  Our colleges and high schools reported special events as well.  Here at Dominican University, we had a study day and cake.  Doesn’t get much better than that!!! An Italian Dominican, from a wealthy Milan family, he came to this country at the age of 22, just a few years after entering the Dominican Order.  Father Samuel preached a gospel of radical inclusivity.  All found a friend and good listener in our brother.  As his sisters, to this day, we feel a closeness and bond to our dear founder.  He left us a legacy of tireless service, deep prayer, and a joy for life.  This is our prayer for him, for ourselves, and for our church.  LORD JE...

Did you awake this morning wondering “Where am I called this day? this week? This life?” In 1170 Jane de Guzman had a vision that the child in her womb was like a dog running with a torch to set the world on fire.  After his death in 1221 the world knew this child as Dominic, the hound of God, and the order that grew out of Dominic’s adventures as the order of preachers. The Order is to proclaim the word of God by preaching, teaching and example, while being sustained by community.  In 2021 preaching takes on many forms. How are you called to preach?   On this day I awoke remembering that today is my turn to write the blog for Catherine’s Café.  What a wonderful call to preach!   I began by praying to God’s Spirit.  “What do you want of me to preach today?   I found a life of Dominic.*    It is an adventure story and a mystery story too.  The events that led to the beginning of the order of preache...

One joy of blogging on Catherine’s Café is reflecting on the other blogs.   So here goes it! Have you participated in any cultural exchanges lately? I enjoyed celebrating the 5 th anniversary of a local pastor, who not only is a great preacher, but also a recently elected judge in juvenile court. “Children must not be shackled when they come to this court!” he recently declared. The pastor who gave the sermon at the event is another great preacher, who preached that the preacher also must heal his/herself of his/her own pain and sin.   “Preach till the chains fall off! He proclaimed in his black preaching cadence with his Lutheran pastor soul. How are you aware of God's presence in your life? As I participated in the above service, I let the beat of the drums and the harmony of the hymns penetrate my heart and soul.   (I am not good at clapping and so my body kept still).   But God was there.   It was a God moment as I sat there 2.5 miles from whe...

  Prayer is one of the four pillars of a Dominican lifestyle.  Along with preaching or ministry, community, and study, prayer is how we devote ourselves to a gospel way of life.   We pray in common, joining with our sisters and with all the faithful, wherever we are missioned.  We also develop a cherished relationship with God.  Our founder, Saint Dominic used to say, “Talk to God and about God.” Prayer is how we relate to God and influences how we relate to the whole universe.  Summer, with all its growth and greenery, has so much to teach us about prayer.   Just this week, I have been passing the zucchini plants from our community garden on my way to the Food Pantry.   Each plant, with its bright yellow flower still bursting forth from the stem, seems to be growing bigger on a daily basis.   By the time this vegetable ends up on the table of one of our neighbors to provide a savory meal and sustenance, the zucchini will have “...

Do words spoken ever really fall on deaf ears?   Do actions taken ever slide into the universe with no effect? I pondered these questions recently after reading both the newspaper and Mark’s Gospel, where the rich young man asked Jesus how he could inherit eternal life, after having kept all the laws and commandments.   Jesus said he lacked only one thing, to “sell what you have, give to the poor, then come, follow me.”   This youth, who had many possessions, turned and walked away, sad.   End of story.   Or is it? Sometimes we encounter the gospels two-dimensionally, believing that what we read and hear is the complete picture.   But, did the person in the parable sadly walk away and continue life as he knew it?   Or was he impacted forever by that face-to-face encounter with Jesus?   Did Jesus’ words, initially rejected, eventually matter? What is the rest of the story? We know this person went away sad.   But perhaps she cou...

The other day, I wrongly referred to last year’s place of ministry as a day shelter for homeless women.   Why is this wrong?   It’s wrong because putting “homeless” in front of “women” reduces them to a label, a condition, with the result being that their essence often goes unrecognized. Rather, I should have said they are women who are homeless…and who are so much more! How do we label ourselves? Who am I ? I’m a mother, sister, aunt, and friend, a lover of God, people, animals, sunrises and coffee.   I’m a Dominican Sister - specifically a Dominican Sister of Sinsinawa. While each of these partially describes me as an individual, they are part of a much deeper truth that has slowly been revealed to me over the last several years. I am Dominican, which is different than being a Dominican.   Being a Dominican sets me apart as an individual.   Saying “I am Dominican” speaks of essence.   Being Dominican draws me into the embrace of an entir...

I want to believe that if Saint Dominic were alive today he would just love Pope Francis because he is calling us to bear witness to the Gospel – the good news of Jesus.   And he has a way of doing this so that all of us are able to understand. Saint Dominic must have been this way as well.   There is an account of him staying up all night talking with a tavern owner – sharing the Gospel with him. On the first Sunday of September I led a Theology on Tap evening for young adults at a local bar.   I channeled my “inner Dominic” and had a great conversation with a wonderful group of people. What our Pope is calling us to – as he wrote in “The Joy of the Gospel” – is to be Missionary Disciples.   We are to go out and proclaim the good news in every place and in every way.   Yes, Saint Dominic would have liked this very much for it is inherent in our charism to go and bring the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ.   As members of ...