Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

  For the past 3 months, I have intentionally engaged in reading and reflecting on collective hope, resistance, and resilience. I am currently re-reading a book about spiritual resistance and hope. It is food for my heart and soul, and I have shared it with several friends. Last night I was invited to have dinner with two of my Sinsinawa sisters and a guest who is in town to speak on her advocacy work, insights, and current social justice lobbying efforts.   There were several times, before and during dinner, when injustices and collective or communal hope entered into our conversation. It has become increasingly clear that I am definitely not alone in being comforted and energized by the power of hope, grounded in faith and community. In my daily work, I encounter significant loss and worry, individual and collective grief, and way too many “isms” and biases to count. But reflecting on the power of spiritual resistance, collective hope, and resilience reminds me what...

In a previous blog posting, I mentioned a Study Circle that was formed to embrace and walk with one of our newest members in the Congregation.   The next topic of study is Community – one of the four pillars of our life.   The others are prayer, study, and ministry.   During the preparation for this week’s gathering, I contemplated both the materials provided for our study and my own experiences of having lived in communities.   Many nuggets of wisdom regarding community were quoted in the study materials, but the one that most resonated with me was an article from our Constitution which says: “ When values and goals are held in common, gifts nurtured, mistakes forgiven,  and when persons are consistently and warmly loved, we grow together toward  the ideal set forth by Fr. Samuel [our founder].” Reflecting upon that statement, I realized that this is truly my experience of life-giving communities; and like you, I have had many engagements ...

Last month I wrote on the topic: Anticipation, because I was heading to Rome for a global gathering of members of the Order of Preachers.  I promised to share some of that experience here. I had to let that my first trip to Rome was not going to be as a tourist.  A bit of extra time before the conference started and aspects of the schedule did allow for some sites/sights to be seen. With my travel companion, we had just enough time to see St Peter’s Basilica and even able to get into the crypt church below the altar.  By sheer chance we ran into two other Dominicans and spent the rest of the evening with them.  Most evenings of the Mission Congress concluded at various worship sites including the main church for the Order, Santa Sabina, the Great Synagogue of Rome and more. What does stand out for me is the new and renewed connections with Dominicans from around the globe.  On this side of the Rome experience, I carry the conversations and learnings I...

A while ago, I was on the road for several hours driving to a class reunion with a classmate from high school, so we had plenty of time to talk.  I told her that a process many of us had gone through told me what I already knew: I’m pretty much a complete nerd.  Then she told me that she does something no one else does: studying and working with organizations and systems.  Our conversation made me realize that we were both thinking of our limitations rather than our gifts—and how common that is. What is it that keeps us from embracing our gifts?   Or come to think of it, what does it matter?   These are our gifts.   What a waste to focus instead on what we’re not.   As I recently heard one of our novices remind herself (and us), “It’s not all about you.”   Yet because of our God-given gifts, each of us can offer unique contributions to the worlds we live in.   It’s what we can do that matters. I have to ask myself whether I focus...

 “Because I have human dignity.” These words were spoken to me by a teenaged Honduran boy who had fled gang violence and migrated to the US.  He was staying in a shelter awaiting his court date. As a legal assistant at a pro bono law firm, I was interviewing him to determine what form of legal presence he might qualify for. “ Porque yo tengo dignidad humana ,” was his response to my question of why he left Honduras – spoken with a firm sense of self-worth and maturity far beyond his years. Human dignity - the belief that each human being is sacred and created in God’s image - is the bedrock of Catholic Social Teaching.  Regardless of a person’s age, race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, economic status, ability/disability, or any other factor, Catholics affirm dignity is always present.  Each and every person is precious in God’s eyes – no matter what. This past January’s “National Migration Week” had the theme “creating a cult...

Earlier this week I watched the “Contemplative Dialogue” around the habit that the congregation hosted and livestreamed.  I was unclear what to expect and—perhaps like many of the sisters that tuned-in—felt a tad anxious about how such a charged discussion would go.  The group discussion demonstrated a model of interaction and engagement that was inspiring: of respect, diverse expression, articulate sharing, and unity.  How wonderful to be a part of this congregation!  I watched it with my community, which includes as diverse a set of experiences with the habit as the group of women on the panel.  The dialogue was a success in that it stimulated our own conversation on the topic; we shared our experiences, opinions and perspectives about how, when, where, and what the habit can and does represent.  While we had our share of differences, there was consensus that the habit is a powerful and complex symbol that has multi-layered meanings to us, as women...

Recently 5 of my sisters made a you tube video entitled “Living a life with Passion.” They are relatively new to Dominican life, not to life itself. They are filled with energy, love, commitment and joy. They are following their hearts. I am nearing my golden jubilee. I was a teacher, administrator a hospital and a hospice chaplain. I loved each of these ministries and gave them my all. Three years ago, I retired due to illness. Since then I have had to live in an unknown space, one that I often listened to others talk about. I had to remember my words, tell them to myself and live into a new form of Dominican life. As this unfolds challenges abound. I am a woman living on oxygen 24 hours a day. I have slowed down but have not stopped. I have rediscovered the still small voice within me. She tells me to breathe, to write, to pray, to listen as others share theirs and prayer with me. She tells me to keep going and not to give up. She says that slowing down and not being in ac...