Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

I suspect that each of us looks to a vacation that will refresh and renew them.   And that's not the same for each of us.   I just returned from a week of vacation at a cabin on a lake in the northern woods which, for me, is the perfect vacation.   I've been reflecting on that experience of simply being in God's presence. This time and place provided me with the space to enter into the gentle presence of God in   all of creation, which too often in my busyness, I can miss.   It was a time to just be. I was in awe at the beautiful sunsets on the shores of this lake, the strength and determination of the old turtle that I caught, the lovely bluegill who gave their lives for our breakfasts, the many faces of the lake and the simple love and fun shared by friends.    I delighted in hearing God's voice in the cry of the bullfrogs, the wind coming through the trees, the glorious songs of the birds and the play of the children nearby.   I recognized...

As  Dominicans we are always called to deeper truth.  I have the good fortune in the ministry I do to be in a learning mode.    Daily I am invited to practice nonviolent communication more practically and more genuinely.  The other day I got frustrated at our administrative assistant.  While I certainly expressed my feelings I did not pause to learn where he was coming from and what were his feelings or needs.  How to practice better communication in this instance?  Well, there is nothing like back-tracking to try to truly hear each other. This kind of learning is its own preaching as well.  Phrases like deeper listening, pausing, being curious about where the other is and what are his/her feelings and needs.  These are all practice tools. The ultimate goal?  Transformation:  individually, communally, and socially.  Through this practice I am slowly expanding my experience of empathy:  self-e...

Today over lunch a Sister asked me why I joined the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.   I responded as I always do: the Sisters here laughed and hugged more than anyone I’d ever met.   They were so down to earth, so human, and so joyful .   Being around them made me feel at home, brought out my own joy, and left me wanting to be a part of their life and mission. The Sister I was with listened knowingly, because like many around here it was the joy that first drew her, too.   She then shared a fresh way of understanding an individual’s attraction to the charism (or spirit) of a community. Charisms are like magnets, she said, and individuals as well as communities have them.   Vocation happens when my little charism magnet and the big charism magnet of the community are attracted to each other.   It might be a mystery, and it’s different for each person, but somehow we just know the attraction is there. I continue to discover if and how my little magn...

Maybe you have heard about the recent humanitarian crisis at our U.S. borders.   Children fleeing violence and hardship are making their way to the U.S.   Who will set an example for our country to be a welcoming and inclusive place?   Women religious from all over the country have answered the call to drop everything and be willing to go to the borderland.   This is what it means to be a religious sister today.   We point to peace, justice, love, joy, and hope.   We must unveil the way for the gospel to be lived here and now.   And in our sharing, in our opening up to the lives and needs of others, we find mutual bonds of love, strength, and solidarity.   We receive the “one hundred fold.”   Stay tuned for next month’s post on my border trip!      What are you being called to this summer?         Peggy Ryan, OP Whitefish Bay, WI

June is my usual month for my annual retreat and so it was last month.   I try to NOT have expectations - to be open to the Divine Spirit’s surprises. During my years in Florida, it has sometimes been a challenge to find a retreat house for myself –   I minister at one all year!   In Tampa I found one that hosts a week long silent directed retreat every June.   Perfect! Yet summer in Florida can be like winter in the northern states.   How so?   The weather – and bad driving conditions.   In Florida?   Each year – as I drive back and forth across the state for my retreat – I drive through torrential downpours.   There is a whiteout of a different kind that happens.   Everyone puts on their car flashers.   I talk to God a lot during these episodes. Something else happened this year and with the support of my director, I attended to it.   I have had a long relationship with many Iraqi Dominicans – Sisters & Friars – be...