Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Community “The search – for self, for wisdom, for love, for truth, for justice, for God – is strenuous and unending.   We need good companions in order to persevere in it.   In good company, in a community of conviction, the quest never loses its relevance, its urgency or its savor.” -   Kay Ashe, OP These words by Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Kay Ashe have been a source of much reflection for me lately as I continue through my candidacy year.   I find myself surrounded with “good companions” with whom I share not only vespers and meals, chores and groceries, cars and bank accounts, but also deeply challenging and deeply beautiful moments.   As someone who works directly with immigrant children, the national news has been deeply disturbing.   On a personal level, I have grieved some losses of loved ones in past months.   In the midst of this, life in community has been a source of genuine support, encouragement and growth.   “We hav...

When I pray the rosary I like to pray it alone--I can go at my own speed; I can interrupt my prayer at any time.  But one day I was asked if I would help lead the rosary once a week at our local nursing/assisted living home. I hesitantly said yes. Besides myself, only a couple women wanted to lead the rosary--one went too slowly and the other went too fast. One person stopped coming because the speed wasn't to her liking. But gradually we moved to a pace that was prayerful for all, and the disgruntled person returned. Before we begin I ask if anyone is very ill or has died during the week, or if any family members need prayer, and of course we always pray for the residents of the home. An employee usually joins us--when she first came she did not know how to pray the rosary, but now she takes her turn leading a decade. After we finish no one is in a hurry to leave; we talk about the activities of the past week, the manicure jobs, family news. In the beginning I usually had...

One aspect of Dominican life that so appeals to me is the passion for study.  While I’ve always been an enthusiastic student, my idea of study has expanded considerably under the guidance of the sisters.  Not only has “study” become broader than academics, but I recognize a deeper way of absorbing—and integrating—what I learn.  I still get that adolescent, ego-driven satisfaction from earning an “A” grade, but I have a richer appreciation for the simple pleasure of being exposed to new and interesting ideas.  As a “traditional learner”, I find well-prepared lectures hugely gratifying—just let me sponge-it-up without the distractions of response and interaction!  I understand that this passive mode of learning is an “old school” model (no pun intended), but I love it nonetheless.   This is probably why I’m so smitten by Coursera, an online “MOOC” (Massive Online Open Course) platform that provides access to a vast array of freely available academic ...

    “I am fighting the world and the devil by myself.”   “Community ends isolation.”   “…Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil... and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.” These quotes are from, respectively, a recent conversation with a woman in a homeless shelter, as she struggled with issues most of us handle routinely and without thought; the philosophy of Earthlinks, a Denver-based social enterprise providing safe space and community for people experiencing homelessness and poverty (earthlinks-colorado.org); and from Matthew 4:1-11 – the Gospel for the 1 st Sunday in Lent.   What, if anything, do they have in common? I think they represent a progression – from a place of ‘being stuck’ in self-reliance and individualism, (in this case born out of despair), to a recognition that we are relational beings created in the image and likeness of our loving and relational God, to a fullness of life...

Recent blogs, asked us to consider hopeful connecting and spring feasting. Recently I feasted at a student lead talent show at Edgewood High School in Madison WI.   The auditorium was filled with 14 to 18 year olds.    When the two student MCs spoke one could hear a pin drop. Then the acts began-- a young Egyptian woman sang a Coptic song, one from Korea played Amazing grace on an amazing stringed instrument, 3 Chinese did a traditional dance, two presented a critique of society in spoken word, a Korean drummed enthusiastically.   Finally, a woman RN who loves to play guitar and sing was welcomed. The second MC returned to the mic to say, “and she is the other MC’s mother.”   When she asked students to sing with her, they did.   They sang “marching songs” of the 60’s, and when in the end they stood to sing “We shall overcome” one by one students raised lit cell phones. WOW! I was lifted by the appreciation of the students for their classmates. It...

I checked the calendar and yes, it’s true, Lent is just a couple of days away! How do you prepare for it?   I had a dear friend who always said, “I HATE Lent” and I don’t quite think that is the attitude I want!   But Lent can turn into a negative if we focus only on what we can’t do, or shouldn’t eat, or have to “give up.”   This Lent, the Motherhouse community is focusing on two sides of Lenten discipline – fasting AND feasting.    Some examples on the prayer card we each received:   “Fast from wanting more; Feast on being thankful…Fast from anger; Feast on patience…Fast from gossip; Feast on silence…Fast from discouragement; Feast on hope.”    None of these are any easier than before, but by reminding me, challenging me and all of us, to feast as well as fast, I face Lent with a different perspective.   The origin of the word Lent is connected to the word for spring.   Can you make this holy season a spring time experience for...

  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...