Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

“Vamos a la mesa del Señor…”   “Let us go to the table of the Lord…” Since the middle of April, I have been working at a food pantry.   An unused church was converted into a pantry to address the needs of the hungry in the area.   I love the idea that this food pantry was once a church where believers came to celebrate the Eucharist and participate in the other sacraments of our faith.   Where we once went to receive the Eucharist, we are now acting as the Body of Christ.   St. Thomas Aquinas, a 13 th century Dominican, once said:   “"The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love; It signifies Love, It produces love.”   Here at the Holy Family Food Pantry, we become Christ’s love for others.   I believe this is what life is all about. And, you, what is life about for you? Peggy Ryan, OP Waukegan, IL                               ...

I am writing this blog between the Solemnities of Ascension & Pentecost – between a promise and a gift.  At Christ’s Ascension, he promises us the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, will come to us.  At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit unleashes abundant gifts. Actually, these Solemnities remind us of this ongoing divine work of promise and gift of each day and in each breath.  We are always moving between the promise and the gift of God’s grace, the deeper DNA of the cosmic life force.  I am constantly reminded of these twin movements as I live my days of community, ministry, prayer, relationships, and, yes, the Dominican way of study. For the past nine months, with a few other sisters, I have accompanied one of our candidates as she joined us to study Dominican life.  In our mutual commitment to be present to each other, we were living out God’s work of promise and gift.  And we have had fun in the process.  In what ways have you experienced God’s prom...

It feels like a long time since I’ve been able to say that!  AND, to say it with pride and not with regret!!  I had time to sleep in, time to visit with friends, time to admire the flowers and vegetables at a Farmer’s Market, and time to drive out to the country.  What I discovered in the process is how much I needed this time and, more importantly, how much time I had been squandering…because I had so much to do! Taking time off no matter how important your work is, is refreshing and clears the mind.   Even those who “go to where the work is great and difficult,” need time to relax!   And to discover that others are doing similar work, and enjoying it. The poet, Hafiz, says “Everything in existence does point to God.” Why can’t I remember that?! Can you remember that? When was the last time you took time off from your “important” work? Ruth Poochigian, O.P. Madison WI

One morning I heard a priest at Mass on T.V. saying that loneliness is a gift from God.  My first reaction, he must be crazy!   However, the more I thought about it I became convicted. Living alone has never been something I ever had to deal with before, because I have always lived with other people, beginning with my family, then a roommate and then communities in religious life.  It was never something that I thought I would ever have to experience in my life for a prolong period, especially after entering religious life. However, I here I find myself alone since the beginning of this year.   It got me thinking about aloneness and loneliness- what's the difference? In Luke  5:16  it says, "Jesus often withdrew into lonely places and he prayed."  Does this necessarily mean that he was alone or lonely?  I believe yes to both.  I also know that you can experience aloneness and loneliness in the midst of a crowd.  The tru...

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 ...