Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

I’m sure you, like me, can tell by the change in the air, the amount of sunlight, that summer is leaving us again.  This ease into autumn is a gift that triggers reflection on change, on time, on journeys ended and begun.     I’m reading a memoir by Kathryn Schulz entitled   Lost & Found .     She divides her small book into three sections:   “Lost” – “Found” – “And.”     I relish those divisions, especially the last one.     How much of our lives is filled with “and” – we think we are headed one way and then we realize we need to rethink; we are absolutely sure we are right about an issue or a plan and then something reaches our mindset and we realize we need to rethink.     I hear echoes of the Gospels in these three words…how many encounters of Jesus embrace “lost, found, and” – choices laid out before cured lepers and rich young people and sophisticated Pharisees and those possessed by the evils of their day. ...

I’m spending the summer at our Camp WeHaKee in northern Wisconsin, far from my home in Austin, Texas.  The setting is gorgeous, and the camp is full of the laughter and struggles of girls as they navigate new relationships as well as develop new skills in such things as teamwork, arts, music, horseback riding, sailing and archery.  While there are still some Covid protocols in place, we have been able to enjoy seeing one another in person again, sharing meals outside and singing our favorite camp songs.  I am especially impressed with the camp counselors, young women mostly college age, who bring energy, enthusiasm, and many talents they can share with their campers Surely,  This is holy ground; we’re standing on holy ground, For our God is with us, and where God is is holy.   LouAnne Willette Austin, TX

I love Summer not for the usual reasons we hear proclaimed, but because that is the season of many celebrations of who we are as Dominicans of Sinsinawa: Community Days, Jubilees, Receptions, and Professions.  Community Days is a time we come together as a community to pray, study, plan for the future of our Congregation, and re-connect with one another. This past weekend after having said “goodbye” to the sister friends who live far away from the motherhouse where I am in ministry, as I was sorting through papers that had accumulated in my book bag, I came across a reflection I had composed 9 years ago in preparation for Final Profession.  Quite frankly, I was “blown away” by what I had written.   The Spirit had certainly been with me during the creation of that document.  Among the many thoughts I found in the reflection was a question one of the sisters in my discernment circle had asked me, “What did you learn through your experience of liv...

It’s almost summer and the vacation season is here.   That means travel and for some of us, the worst of all experiences is lost luggage.   We think so hard and long (usually) about what to pack for our adventure we are completely lost when we don’t have all we thought we needed. But wait – maybe this summer is a time to think about choosing to lose some of our luggage – or baggage – if you prefer.   Maybe this is the time to loosen our grip on all that stuff we think we need, all that stuff that acts as a buffer or barrier between us and the wounded world, between a deeper relationship with the Divine, between me and the self I don’t always like to confront.   I have begun to pack early for a trip.   I let everything just sit in the suitcase, and then, as the time gets closer, with reflection, I start unpacking, because I realize how little I truly need.   May these days find you with time to reflect on the luggage you’d like to lose and br...

  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 “...