Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

I changed my sheets the other day and I thought I’d flip over the mattress only to realize that my mattress only has one side. So I turned it around instead and put the head down were my feet go. My mattress is a cumbersome thing but as I struggled to turn it around I found myself thinking of our local Lake Wingra and the cyclical turning over of the waters. This happens in Fall and Spring and allows life to continue under the ice in the depths of Winter. In the winter the warmest water sinks to the bottom of the lake. This mixing of waters distributes oxygen and Nutrients to support life under the ice covered lakes. In the Spring, when the ice on the surface melts, the turnover reverses with the warmth and nutrients moving closer to the surface A seasonal miracle, this turning over. What is turning over inside me as we move deeper into the Lenten season? Under the ice cover am I taking the opportunity to seek out nourishment and life in these Lenten depths? When Easte...

Perhaps you are familiar with the poet, Mary Oliver. She died a few months ago and it was only then I found out she lived a few miles north of me in South Florida. On Ash Wednesday I gave a day of reflection in which I include her poem:   The Summer Day .  The last line is:  “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” The title for this blog entry is how I adapted her words as those of us gather as Lent began.  This is the only Lent we have in 2019.  How did those present and how are you, using your one wild and precious Lent? I have long ago stopped using Lent to give up chocolate.  Rather, I am pondering how  wild   (God’s gift of free will) and  precious   (this very moment – every moment) is my life and all life including the earth’s.  I am listening to God’s call to the next action I am to take. Recently, that happened when participating in a congregati...

We just celebrated St. Patrick's Day! It's a day of great music, dancing, everything green, including beer. I am not Irish but I enjoy celebrating this day because it taps into a cultural pride. Everyone gets into the spirit of the day. There are even buttons that say: Irish for the day. Our community has as one of its goals to become a multicultural, anti-racist congregation. One small way we can do this is to learn about festivities for each of the many cultures we are connected with. Part of my background is Polish. Three years ago I traveled to Poland and when I walked through the cities I felt I was walking on ground my ancestors would have walked on. It was a profound experience and made me appreciate my ancestry even more than before. It also made me more sensitive to the cultural roots of others, and I returned from that trip more eager to learn about and celebrate those cultures, too. How do you learn about/celebrate cultures that are not your own? M...

Here’s a rousing cheer of gratitude for all the wonderful Sinsinawa Dominican women I live among and also all our small “s” sisters whose partnerships make our mission in the world possible and full of meaning and joy. Women seem to share a deep concern for the earth and all earth’s people. Daniel Ladinsky in  Love Poems from God says: “God has a special interest in women for they can lift this world to their breast and help [Him] comfort.”  What an honor to answer the call to vowed religious life in community, have the privilege of ministering with strong committed women, and help God give comfort!  Some of my favorite mission partners are women with whom I do jail visitation as part of the Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants. We meet with detainees from all over the world, but especially now from Central America and Mexico. We are a compassionate human presence for people who have experienced terrible trauma at home, during their perilous journeys here...

When we can’t understand the behavior of another, and perhaps judge them without knowing their situation, we may find it helpful to get to know them and understand them by walking in their shoes. That’s not easy to do. My home and ministry is at the Mound and Villa at Sinsinawa. The ages of the sisters range from 31 to 100 (with most in their 80s). The life experiences of our sisters are awe-inspiring. I have imbibed their wisdom as they tell their stories. We are changing in many ways and I am learning how to accept what’s going on in me and the sisters I love. Some of our sisters are mentally sharp while others are becoming more forgetful and even mixed up. Hearing and sight losses have greatly affected how they perceive what’s going on.  A key belief our sisters share is that “at the heart of everything is relationship.” A way to be in relationship is to be able to enter into the world of the other. I’m learning more about dementia and how to live in the world of ...

Every Saturday when I arrive at my first communion class, this little girl runs to the car and presents me with a little note.   I smile every time.  More often than not she gives me an idea for a future lesson!  But I am also deeply touched that she takes the time to write the note, decorate it and give it to me.   So, before I begin the lesson, I sit and converse with her and the others about their lives, how their week was for them, their joys and sorrows, in their families and at school.   It is my hope that taking the time to cultivate real relationships with these kids, and to encourage them in their little acts of kindness and love is providing a model for them to value and cultivate other relationships in a world where, as Pope Francis has indicated, people have become so increasingly connected by the media, yet at the same time confess to becoming so increasingly isolated.   What drives you more in ministry, completing the task or cu...

Someone said to me that “it’s all about the story” but I did not fully understand the deeper meaning of that statement.  I think I do now.  It gradually became clearer as I paid attention to the relationship between the candy dish I, that I keep fully stocked with a variety of sweet treats and the people that visit it.  The office that I work in is located in the main hallway of a small critical care hospital that serves a rural area.  Many of the people take deep pride in “living off the grid” and can be intensely guarded about their lives.  Because of the great location of the office, almost all staff, many patients, visitors, and outpatients pass by.  While not necessarily seeking out a conversation with a chaplain, the candy frequently draws them into the office.  Often, as each person pauses to make a selection, they enter into conversation.  Gradually as they continue to stop by, it seems that they ...