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Elizabeth Fiorite
Elizabeth Fiorite has enjoyed being a Dominican Sister of Sinsinawa for over 60 years. Her early years of ministry were as a teacher and principal in Catholic elementary schools. Her second career, after losing her sight, was as a social services counselor to others with vision loss which she did for 20 years until 2013. She lives with two other Dominican Sisters in Jacksonville, Florida, where they engage in peace and justice ministries.
Each day brings new challenges to our expectations, our traditional values, our long-held ideals. The phenomenon of uncertainty, however, is not limited to national events. It is apparent that all aspects of human experience are subject to some degrees of uncertainty. Realizing this may cause a crack, or at least, send a shiver, to our formerly rock-solid core of belief.
Trains have always held an almost mystical fascination for me. I have often lived near railroad tracks. Growing up in a suburb of Chicago, I lived a block away from the Harrison Street "El" (the Chicago Transit Authority Elevated Line) which today purports to speed you to downtown Chicago in only 11 minutes.
Having completed a summer of study and retreat, I had received my new assignment on St. Dominic's feast day, to teach in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. One of our council members interrupted me on my way to the bus waiting to transport a number of us to the train station. She gently informed me that I would not be taking the train to Kingfisher, but to Mobile, Alabama. I knew little or nothing about either place, and I willingly accepted this last-minute change of plans.
