Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

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 just got back from a regional meeting in Orlando.  Twice a year in various parts of the country, our sisters and associates gather for what we call regionals. These are times when we come together for pray, conversation, congregation business, and relaxation together.   This fall our regionals are focused on preparing for our Chapter, which is a meeting that happens every five years, where we make decisions together, set a direction for ourselves and elect new leaders.   So, while there is usually business to be done and we to do that, for me, it's connecting with my sisters and the associates that feeds my soul. I love being part of this group, Dominican sisters and associates of Sinsinawa, whose focus is on mission.   These days there's a lot of chaos as we move into an unknown future.   We don't all agree on where and how we want to go, yet we listen to one another and work toward a decision that we all can live with.   And what I always know is t...

Pray with me Please join me in a moment of silent prayer for the nine people murdered in Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, and all killed in prayer and worship spaces throughout our country and world. Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd Susie Jackson Ethel Lee Lance Depayne Middleton Clementa C. Pinckney   Tywanza Sanders Daniel Simmons Sharonda Coleman-Singleton Myra Thompson                                                                   Amen. Tanya Williams, OP St. Louis Park, MN

Typically I’ve conceptualized my life as a linear progression of the places I’ve called home—it’s been a convenient way for me to catalogue my experiences and gauge my personal growth.   As I’m wrapping up my first year of Candidacy and preparing to move on to the next steps in my discernment, I’m noticing a subtle shift in that perspective.    A growing awareness of the Sinsinawa Dominican focus on relationship has influenced how I view these various epochs of my life—including this most recent one as a Candidate.   There’s a vast network of relationships associated with each of these places which I’m realizing provides a much richer lens for thinking about my past.   In fact, it was those relationships that actually defined my experiences and led to my personal growth—the geographic locations, as much as I loved them, were just backdrops.  As I contemplate the idea of “itinerancy” as a way of life, I no longer think that the defining factor is ...