Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Tragedies, such as those suffered by the recent victims of tornadoes and overflowing river banks, can have some of us questioning all sorts of things. One question might be ‘Where is God in all of this?’ A friend and her parents’ homes were seriously damaged by the recent tornado that hit parts of Minneapolis. A few weeks ago I visited a friend in Alabama. The devastation from the tornadoes around the country is overwhelming to many and seems endless. We have also seen pictures of neighbors and complete strangers offering help, support, and prayers. In the midst of tragedies as well as in the mysteries of our daily lives, we can lean into our faith and find peace of mind. Having experienced the horrors, chaos, and massive destruction of Hurricane Katrina through my family who still lives in New Orleans, my heart aches for the victims of recent devastations – in our country and around the world. Being in relationship with other faith-filled contemplative women and men, I am reminde...

I wake up each morning to a love affair.  Outside my window, in the early morning hours, a cardinal calls to a far-off mate.  And, if I listen very carefully, I can hear the mate answer.  Rain or shine, the darlings are out there.  What a grace!  What a privilege!  I believe that in those waking moments, I am a witness to God’s word.  It is our calling as Dominicans to first hear, and secondly, preach God’s word.  Meister Eckhart, the thirteenth-century Dominican mystic says:  “Every creature is a word of God.” So, this Spring, I want to put on my “listening cap,” as we did in Kindergarten when it was story time.  As you have probably noticed, good listening hears more than just words.  I listen when I get up early to see the alignment of the planets in the sky, or notice the red bud tree on my evening walk, or stop to converse with the man who has asked for bus fare, or sit with a community member as we try to hear each other int...

One of the gifts of community life within the context of a congregation of Sisters, is that many voices become one.  The Dominicans Sisters of Sinsinawa have done this in a particular way known as:  Corporate Stance. At this link is an explanation of what is a Corporate Stance and our process toward taking such a stand: http://www.sinsinawa.org/07_Peace_Justice/Corporate_Stances.htm Also on our website is the record of our stances:  http://www.sinsinawa.org/07_Peace_Justice/Sinsinawa_Corporate_Stances.htm Ok. . .This is all just nice to know but “So What?” Behind these stances are ways in which not only the Congregation works to change society but individual sisters may be giving particular energy to projects around these issue. One area that I am becoming more involved in is with the deeply sad issue of human trafficking – or – as one public official said to me recently:  “Let’s call it was it is: slavery.” In a future posting to this blog, I will share...

Relationship is at the heart of our lives and ministry!!   I know that and yet there are moments when I’m struck by just how very important it is to us as Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa.    We make choices because our relationships are so important to us.   My experience this past weekend is a good example.   I was visiting our four sisters in San Antonio, Texas.   On Saturday, three of us gathered with four more of our sisters for a farewell lunch in Gruene, Texas for our sisters, Priscilla and Yvonne, who'll be leaving Texas soon.   Sisters drove from as far as San Angelo which is a little more than a four hour drive each way……for lunch.    Yes, we had a delicious lunch sitting along the Guadalupe River.   Yet, that wasn’t what made it worth the time and effort it took for each person to get there.   What made it more than worthwhile was that we were with our sisters.   We shared many stories about what was happening ...

Driving to work in a rare, sunny winter morning, the radiance of the sky attracted my attention. (Oh, I did keep my eyes on the road)!   I thought about graphic design and where artists get their inspiration from. If I weren’t on my way to work, I would have parked and paint the creation before me albeit amateurishly. The sunrise was in a clear blue sky with some shades of clouds. The baby blue, light, yellow and lime green rainbow colors splashed in a 90 degree angle across the skyline. The unique appearance of this natural design was that the orange-colored sunrise was slowly opening like a bud through the haze of clouds right under the multicolored skyline. It enhanced the colors with halos. Woo, it was gorgeous!    The scene was like the red hot flames oozing from a volcano (hazardous as volcano is, the natural aesthetic is awesome). Who made this scenic creation possible? God, Yahweh, Allah, Osenebulua. Would you appreciate the maker as I did the next time you s...

People would describe me as a late vocation.  I think of myself though as a late responder.  The call in retrospect would have come many years ago.  I responded in stages or so it seemed.  I reminded myself of the blind man who received his sight only gradually.  My first call was to single life during which time I served in various capacities and in various ministries.  The idea of becoming a religious sister was always at the back of my mind however and I made sure that it stayed right there! Finally, many years after, and quite unexpectedly, a prompting came again which was difficult not to respond to.   I followed up on it until finally I said ‘yes.’   Why was I stalling? I think it was fear of what the future would hold.  You see at the time, I valued highly my independence.  Giving that up was extremely difficult and so I held back from making a more total commitment to God.    My ‘yes’ to date has broug...

Every day during this wonderful Easter week I have been reflecting on the gospel readings of Jesus’ Risen appearances to his followers.   What inexpressible joy they must have felt to know that He had conquered death and brought new life!   My favorite story is Luke’s telling of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).   These two begin their journey from Jerusalem in sorrow and end it recognizing Jesus in the “Breaking of the Bread.”   When Jesus vanishes from their sight they say, “Were not our hearts burning within us as He spoke to us on the way?” Does the Word of God make our hearts “burn within us?”   During Lent Sister Geri and I traveled the Diocese of Owensboro offering Lenten retreats for the people of rural parishes.   So many people are hungry for the “Good News.”   Whether what is needed is a word of comfort, a word of challenge or a word of inspiration, God’s Word offers us what we need on our journey through our Chris...