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...

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...

…after nearly 47 years living in Dominican community:  people do their best! What do I mean?   All of us were called by God.  To do what?  Whatever needed to be done!   I was a high school teacher of religion for ten years.  I went to summer school during those years to learn more about my faith.  Then I discovered that my students were learning things that their parents didn’t know.  So I pursued a degree in adult education, and used it in Des Moines, Iowa, Milwaukee and for the congregation. All that time I lived in Dominican communities, where I was supported in my growth –  as a woman, as a teacher, as a learner, as a sister. Who has supported your growth over the years?   Ruth Poochigian, O.P. Madison WI

My sisters and me in our orange walk shirts!! And it’s something I’m learning to live with!   Exercise is important, so I’m walking nearly every day and on the days it rains I go to the Y and work out on their machines. I’ve also joined a Boxing class for people with Parkinson’s.   I may not be Muhammed Ali, but I LOVE IT! (And he lived with Parkinson’s for thirty years.)   And next month I’ll be rowing in an 8-person skull on Lake Mendota with my Boxing buddies.   It’s a program the University of Wisconsin makes available every July, free of charge for people with Parkinson’s. In April nine Sisters joined me in a Walk-fundraiser for Parkinson’s.   This was so supportive for me.   We joined with many others that day.   We had a great time and raised over $56,000! This is all new to me, and I’m learning so much.    One thing I’m learning is that many people live with chronic and progressive diseases.    I consi...

Last Saturday I hosted a “Circle” gathering of Sisters and Associates at our house.  Although Sinsinawa Dominicans use the word “circle” for these, generally monthly, meetings, each group’s circle seems to be one-of-a-kind with little in common with other circles other than we all tend to sit in circles.  Circles have no canonical status; but from the way the members cling to them, it’s obvious that circles are important. Theoretically, the circle I belong to has 17 members.   But about 5 Associates and 10 professed Sisters usually show up for a gathering.   Someone may be out of town.   Another person may be sick.   Someone else may just have a conflict for the date we’ve chosen.   Individuals in our group are not necessarily close friends and may not often meet one another except at Circle gatherings where we snack a bit, pray, “check in”—meaning catch up on what’s going on in one another’s lives, what’s important, how each member is feeling abo...