Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

A couple weeks ago we participated in an event for the youth and young adults of the Archdiocese.   Religious and Priests were asked to set up booths around the perimeter of the auditorium.  The energy in the room was high, the music was electrifying, and the 2000 or so who came were charged!  We shared a booth with two other congregations, the Dominican nuns of Rosary Monastery and the St Joseph of Cluny Sisters.  Presence!  For all of us, this was our main motive for being there. There was a friendly camaraderie among us.  It was obvious that even as we were promoting our various congregations there was that sense of being in this together.  At one point we even crossed over into each other's space, explaining to the many young people who came, about one another's life and mission.  There were no competitors that day, only friends. The harvest is indeed rich but the Vineyard is the Lord's; we are mere laborers.  Lord o...

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 ...

My apostolic year in Spokane – a year of challenge, growth and many blessings, is quickly coming to an end; the process of anticipatory grieving and saying good-byes – a difficult part of religious life - is well under way.  I like to gather and keep ‘treasures’ from the places I’ve lived…pine cones, leaves, seeds, feathers, etc.  My most prized ‘treasures’, though, are the people I’ve met, things they’ve said and written.  Here is a sampling: “I feel like I went through a knothole backwards.” (A Women’s Hearth participant’s response when I asked how she was doing.   When I think I’m having a bad day, I think of this woman and so many others who face unbelievable challenges on a daily basis. Pretty humbling.) “Listen or your tongue will keep you deaf.” (From a Women’s Hearth staff meeting reflection.   Good advice and a morning mantra.) “Why did I ever come to a Jesuit university?” (I had to smile at that one, which was on a bathroom wall in Gonzag...

In a recent blog, Christin Tomy asked,” How has Providence pulled through for you?” And so here is my answer. My 5 th and 6 th grade teacher, Loretta Dornisch OP died recently.     She is the one who helped me to see that God was calling me to be a Dominican.   This was one funeral I would not miss. When I went to take my place in the gathering space at the Mound for the funeral, I looked up and saw someone who has created conflict in a group that is very dear to me.   I practically ran to greet him. “Welcome to my house,” I said.” How did you know Loretta?”   “She is the one who helped me to see that God was calling me to be a minister.   I could not miss this funeral.” WOW!   Coincidence? I had wanted to share my concerns about our organization with him.    Providence can provide.   Since this was his first time at the Mound I offered to show him the chapel.   We had space and time to talk.   Providence did pro...

Before entering religious life, the word “jubilee” was not part of my customary, every-day language. Anniversary, yes, but not jubilee. We have 39 Sinsinawa Dominicans celebrating Jubilees this year of 50, 60, 70, 75 and 80 years of vowed life. Three Jubilarians live in our Twin Cities (MN) area. Jubilees are celebrated annually at our motherhouse. Some sisters, however, also choose to celebrate their jubilee in the geographic area in which they live and minister. I attended such a celebration last weekend. One of our 50 th year Jubilarians currently ministers at a local parish in the Twin Cities, where there has been almost 140 years of ministry by the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation . (An amazing historical fact, don’t you think?) An estimated 500 people gathered to celebrate with her. Our dinner meal included Mexican and Midwestern USA cuisine, complimented by a mariachi band, and a variety of music and theater performances by the kids afterwards. I left the ...

Living a Gospel centered life as a Dominican sister I find myself working with women and men struggling to integrate into the community by learning English and then passing a civics test to become a US citizen. I am honored to accompany them as they struggle to learn new vocabulary and a new history.  Martha told me in English class she wants to learn enough to start her own daycare; I am so proud of her. She is married and not able to bear children so she wants a daycare to care for the children of others. This is her dream, a goal, she plans to realize and she has taken progressive steps toward this. What are your dreams and plans to reach your dream? My dream is to be a faithful companion and help to empower women and men to meet their goals of integration into US society. Regular prayer sustains me in this ministry. Kathy Long, OP Waukegan, IL