Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

"We will rise!"  Depending on where you stand these words may mean something different to you.  Certainly here in our national context (Trinidad), it was the slogan of the ruling political party as they campaigned during the elections a couple years ago.   As a Catholic Christian this phrase means something quite different. Fresh out of the Easter Season we know that it reminds us of the dying and rising we each must make in our lives from time to time.  Rising out of darkness and despair, sadness and disappointment is difficult.   As Religious Sisters we face this too when...we lose family and community members to death, we suffer illness, sisters decide to leave the community, we experience disappointment in our ministry, with ourselves, in our relationships with each other, with oppressive systems and institutions.  But we don't stay down.  We rise again and the reason we are able to do this is because we are not alone...

Picture this:   a circle of Dominican women all gathered around a fire in western Montana breaking open the Word of God   present in the Clark Fork River rolling by, the songs of many birds surrounding us, many wildflowers blooming.   Once again God’s Spirit birthing Church in our midst.   These are uneasy days for sisters in the Church.   Yet what a gift to come together and renew hope in the vision, service, promise of Gospel living.   There we were, members of the Intermountain Region claiming our place as Pentecost partners with God’s People. Twice each year we come together to share our experience, strength and hope in our common life together.   Each month we log onto our computers and update one another on the happenings, the opportunities, the challenges and the laughs we have had these past weeks.   Some of us Skype with one another regularly. Why all this emphasis on connecting you might ask?   We share a commo...

On my mind these days is the church’s proclamation of the Year of Faith scheduled to start October 11, 2012, the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II and end November 24, 2013, the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism. The church is calling us to conversion so that we will witness the truth. Then I put this together with the challenging issues facing LCWR and think of how much I need faith in a good and gracious God. Who has the truth? Our Dominican motto is truth. I think of the challenging issues facing families when the church talks about religious freedom and contraception. Where do our young people turn? I believe one of the primary statements from Vatican II was the primacy of conscience. I always go back to that as I seek truth and make decisions. These are hard times but others would say every time is a hard time, just different issues. I turn again in prayer to a good and gracious God. As we celebrate the opening of Vatican II, will the church l...

My first semester at Edgewood College is drawing to a close.  Living in a new city and a new house approaches its 4-month anniversary.  The end of April closed the curtain on the Inter-Community Pre-Novitiate (ICPN) in Racine, spent with eleven wonderful candidates and our equally wonderful Formation Directors – especially mine!  And turmoil within the Church has churned up questions, not the least of which has been “why would anyone want to enter Religious life today, at this time, in this Church?”  I’ve wrestled with that one lately, and have had more than a few chats with our very patient God as a result.  So why would a woman want to enter Religious life today? I don’t know … why do some people bungee jump? I imagine it’s because they love the resulting thrill and rush.  (Not a good analogy, perhaps.)  Or why would anyone want to become a nuclear physicist?  Truthfully, I have no idea but I suppose it might be because she or he loves the...

We are now in the last two weeks of the Easter season and the Word of God that we hear is all about the Spirit – the Advocate Jesus promised would come and dwell with us.   How do you experience the presence of the Spirit in your life? During the Easter season I have been privileged to walk with college students at Western Kentucky University who participated in a “Busy Person’s Retreat.”   I was awed and impressed that in the last two weeks of spring semester classes these students took time to spend with the Scripture and with listening to what the Spirit has to say to them.   College students have a lot of stress:   How will I pay my bills?   Will I find a job - a career that will be meaningful to me?   And yet, in the midst of busyness it is so important not to lose sight of the prize – living a life that is guided by the Spirit of God, building the reign of God here on this precious earth of ours. How do you take time to listen to t...

Easter time is a joyful season of hope. This week I experienced a profound sense of hope as I participated in a couple gatherings that celebrated gratitude for women religious. A Chicago parish invited women religious and laity to gather and give thanks for the legacy and work of women religious. The pastor began with a story of a BVM sister who was humped backed. She taught at Our Lady of the Angels at the time of the great fire. She stretched out between her classroom window and a window to safety, becoming a human bridge to safety and life. He likened the role of women religious as being a bridge in our society. With the scripture of the beatitudes and the last judgment the parishioners shared moving stories of how sisters give living witness to these gospel passages. Tears, laughter, applause, and a standing- room- only church expressed overwhelming gratitude. The celebration profoundly touched all who were present. Hope is tangible! My week was crowned with a c...

Juneau, Alaska is located in a rain forest, which means many cloudy or rainy nights.  Therefore, though the aurora borealis (Northern Lights) are often active in our area, we don't see them because of the cloud cover.  A couple weeks ago we had one of our rare clear nights.  I looked out to see the stars and a ribbon of green light danced across the sky.  The Northern Lights!  For fifteen minutes I delighted in watching the green streaks across the sky.  Pure gift, and unexpected! This made me reflect on the little surprises, totally unexpected, that pop into our lives at times when our spirits need a sign of hope, of joy. During this Easter season and amid the warming air of spring little surprises seem to be more profuse.  They are everywhere!  Maybe it's because our spirits need these signs of hope and joy in a world that often seems out of touch with goodness, gratitude and reverence for God's...