Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

At this moment, I am joyfully looking forward to a week of vacation with my youngest sister.     I live in Wisconsin and she in Florida.     Though we are 6 years apart in age and have very different personalities, we have come to be each other’s best supporter.     She called me last night to ask a couple of questions that could easily have been answered when I arrived, but I think she, like me, just wanted to connect in anticipation of my arrival.     Though she as hostess looks for a “fun” event or two in her geographical area during our visit, mostly we just enjoy being with each other - sharing stories, teasing each other, offering support to each other through life’s challenges, and laughing a lot.  We have come to respect and honor our unique personalities and life choices.     My relationship with my biological sisters (there were 5 of us growing up together) has prepared me well for being sister with my nearly 300...

Recent blogs, asked us to consider hopeful connecting and spring feasting. Recently I feasted at a student lead talent show at Edgewood High School in Madison WI.   The auditorium was filled with 14 to 18 year olds.    When the two student MCs spoke one could hear a pin drop. Then the acts began-- a young Egyptian woman sang a Coptic song, one from Korea played Amazing grace on an amazing stringed instrument, 3 Chinese did a traditional dance, two presented a critique of society in spoken word, a Korean drummed enthusiastically.   Finally, a woman RN who loves to play guitar and sing was welcomed. The second MC returned to the mic to say, “and she is the other MC’s mother.”   When she asked students to sing with her, they did.   They sang “marching songs” of the 60’s, and when in the end they stood to sing “We shall overcome” one by one students raised lit cell phones. WOW! I was lifted by the appreciation of the students for their classmates. It...

Earlier this week I watched the “Contemplative Dialogue” around the habit that the congregation hosted and livestreamed.  I was unclear what to expect and—perhaps like many of the sisters that tuned-in—felt a tad anxious about how such a charged discussion would go.  The group discussion demonstrated a model of interaction and engagement that was inspiring: of respect, diverse expression, articulate sharing, and unity.  How wonderful to be a part of this congregation!  I watched it with my community, which includes as diverse a set of experiences with the habit as the group of women on the panel.  The dialogue was a success in that it stimulated our own conversation on the topic; we shared our experiences, opinions and perspectives about how, when, where, and what the habit can and does represent.  While we had our share of differences, there was consensus that the habit is a powerful and complex symbol that has multi-layered meanings to us, as women...

Recently I was asked to do a reflection on Mary, the listening virgin. As I pondered what I would say I reflected on how much our society today needs good listeners who show respect for the person speaking. It seems almost everyone has an opinion and expresses it, sometimes shamelessly, on social media—often what is said is degrading and hateful. Are they really listening to one another? Yesterday a woman came to my office saying she didn’t think anyone cared about her; no one loved her—she didn’t even think God loved her. She felt very alone. What could I do; what could I say? I listened to her and reminded her that God loved her into existence and will never stop loving her. We prayed together and she left. I don’t know what I did for her, but I knew she needed someone to listen to her. Maybe she needed the reminder that God loved her, but she didn’t need my advice nor did she need me to resolve her angst. I listened; was that enough? I hope so. It has been said that we have...