Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

Lately, it seems to me that God has been reminding me and calling me even more intentionally to service.  Scripture proclamations, novels I’m reading, and conversations I engage in all seem to have this thread of service running through them.   In the Scripture readings for the liturgies of this Holy Week alone, nearly every day there is either a story about service or Jesus speaking of following Him requires being a servant to one another.  During the Holy Thursday liturgy, this is symbolized by the washing of feet (or hands).   We are all called to service in some shape or form. When my biological sisters retired from their full time jobs, each of them very quickly found a volunteer opportunity or part-time job where their interests and skills could help another person, extended family, neighbors, or local population.  When one of my sister friends moved to the Mound this past year, the Prioress of the Mound community a...

Photo Credit:  Sheila Yousuf-Abramson/Fred Oskin We often spend time in Lent looking within.  What is getting in the way of our relationship with God?  We focus on fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.  For Dominicans, Lent must also have an outward focus and involve the world in which we live.  How is our relationship with God moving us toward those on the margins, our sisters and brothers?  Recently, Dominican University’s School of Social Work boarded buses at (UGH) 4:30 a.m. to go to our state capital, Springfield, IL.  We participated with other graduate programs in the National Association of Social Work Advocacy Day.  We met with legislators.  We connected policy to programs.  We stood up for our sisters and brothers who are left outside of access to basic human rights.  Lent calls us to this kind of accompaniment.  The wide mercy of God calls us to walk with...

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 ...