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We got a new pope this year, Leo XIV. Now we've got a new archbishop for the Archdiocese of New York. Already I'm seeing the all-too-predictable headlines. I also noticed this excerpt from a transcript of a five-minute interview, complete with an embedded audio recording of the interview.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Link to an excerpt from and audio recording of a five minute interview with the new Archbishop of New York. Also links to my take related topics.)

Dunseith, North Dakota, Frontage Road SW My memory, like my father's, is occasionally creative. I remembered a someone writing that England's public schools were dedicated to the idea "...that Tennyson would never happen again...." Then, recently, I started re-reading a Wodehouse book. "...It was almost as if these [English public] schools, founded in the 1830s, had it for their main objective that Shelley and Byron would never happen again...." (Introduction by Wilfred Sheed (1975) to "Leave in to Psmith", P. G. Wodehouse (1924)) That both corrected my memory of the passage and, along with something my oldest daughter showed me, started me writing this post. I'll get to that, after a clarification or three. "Public" Schools, Puritans, Progressives, and Attitudes My Year as a Teacher The Curious Case of the Vanishing Counselor A Student Newspaper and 'Problem' Students Making a Difference ... More at A Cath...

Mary Ann Glendon, former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Receiving the Gaudium et Spes Award, States Dinner, (August 5 2025) I'm not comfortable with the way today's America works, but I think this is a good time to be an American and a Catholic. That's because part of my job is easier now, than it would have been in my youth. Granted, experiencing "increasing opposition" from The Establishment 1 isn't comfortable. But honestly: why would I want their approval? Vatican II and Making Sense "...The End of Christendom ... Not a Gloomy Picture..." An Assumption and "The Apotheosis of Washington" "...Great and Wonderful Days in Which to be Alive...." Goals, and the Best News Humanity's Ever Had Justice, Charity, Respect: Sounds Good to Me ... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (I think Fulton Sheen was right. The end of Christendom is not a gloomy picture. These are great days to be alive, and we have a jo...

Veterans Day and ideas about patriotism overlap, so I'll start with an admission. On the whole, I like being an American. That's partly because I think that "America" includes much more than this country's national government.... ...I also am profoundly glad that so many folks over the last two and a half centuries have decided that serving in this country's armed forces was a good idea. The rest of us owe you our thanks, if nothing else.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A somewhat freewheeling look at how I see being patriotic, with quotes and excerpts; and why I think caring about everyone makes sense.)

Someone's written a book about Pope Leo XIV: "León XIV: ciudadano del mundo, misionero del siglo XXI"; or "Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century". The book, in Spanish, was released today, September 18, 2025. I gather it'll be available in English next year. A whiff of this biography, and a recent interview, popped up in my news feed, along with the usual sound and fury. Since I prefer reading specifically "Catholic" news through outlets that aren't marinated in my native culture, I did a little digging and came up with this.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A quick look at a recent interview related to a new book: Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century. Plus how I see news and dramatics.)

Kids started going back to school here in Sauk Centre on Wednesday. No shots rang out, and nobody got killed. That, happily, is routine. But sometimes bad things happen. Classes started last week at the Church of the Annunciation's school in Minneapolis. Since it's a Catholic school, they started the day with Mass at the church next door. Then somebody killed two of the students and injured many other folks before killing himself. The priest who was celebrating Mass made some good points in the following Sunday's homily. I'll be talking about that, and somewhat-related topics: Church of the Annunciation: After the Killings Remembering Who's In Charge Repairing the Damage Cleanup Procedures Heroes, Hope, and Prayer America: Death, Changing Attitudes, and Good News ... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (After killings at the Church of the Annunciation: what their priest said, an Archbishop Hebda video, how I see student actions, changing Americ...

My oldest daughter suggested that I start telling 'family stories' about eight months back: which struck me as a good idea. This week's, involving a door and — I think — showing where I get some of my attitudes and priorities, got me started looking for places in one of my ancestral homelands. I'll be talking about that; and, eventually, what happened when a husband's idea of what's good enough didn't line up with his wife's. Surnames and Ancestry, Mostly A Place in Ottertail County: Scenic, But Not Practical Names, Language, Accents, and Legacies Changes — or — Seeking Lost Branting and Beridalen "An Interesting Pattern" Priorities and a Door Family, Names, and Links More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Another family story: this one involving a pioneer couple, a first home, and a door. Also surnames, ancestry, and what's changed in an ancestral homeland.)

I wrote this paper in 1972 for Dr. K. Smemo's History 349, The Scandinavians in America. I'm planning to share a 'family story' or two about this side of the family in Saturday's post: which will be both shorter, and easier to read than this. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A paper I wrote in 1972, following part of my mother's family back to a gaard in Norway, and touching on how we adopted American language and customs.)

Things keep changing. That's hardly a new idea. "Everything changes and nothing stands still" ("πάντα χωρεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει", quoted by Plato in " Cratylus " ) ( Heraclitus , Wikiquote) I'll be talking about the new mural in my town's Walmart, how this isn't the America I grew up in, changes that have been for the better, and why the latest thing in looming dooms — looks both familiar, and not all that distressing. Sauk Centre's Walmart Still Here: So is Downtown Sauk Centre A Marvelous Mural, Mainly America Has Changed: Good News, Actually Good Ideas and Perspective Crises du Jour, Doing Our Job ... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A new mural in a store that was new two decades back. Changes and constants in America, a crisis of yesteryear, good ideas, and doing our job.)

Folks living in central Texas are not having a good time. A heavy storm's rain overloaded waterways before sunrise Friday morning. Some folks enjoying an Independence Day weekend in that region's picture-postcard landscapes survived. Others didn't.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A quick look at the Independence Day flash floods in central Texas: a rising death toll, emerging details. How I see the disaster, and a brief prayer.)

Many towns here in central Minnesota host fireworks displays on Independence Day, but not Sauk Centre. Fireworks and Family It's not that the town disapproves of the Fourth of July, or fireworks, or loud noises: our big-deal midsummer celebration is Sinclair Lewis Days, later this month.... ...today I'll focus, briefly — very briefly — on one of the earliest times my folks took me to see fireworks.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Remembering one of the earliest times my folks took me to see fireworks. Love of country, within reason; human nature; future generations.)

Although there's the occasional glint of good news in my news feed — like " Firefighters Free Sauk Centre Man from Submerged Tanker " (KNSI (June 17, 2025)) — most of what I see is no reason for celebration. That said, attacks on politicians in Minnesota — bad as they were — could have ended with many more dead bodies and hurting families. Even so, there's precious little to celebrate. This week I'll be looking at what happened, what's being said about it, and both how I feel and what I think of the situation. Murders, Motives, and Responses A "Deeply Religious" Assassin What Two Bishops and an Executive Director Said Gladness, Regret, Life, and Beliefs Taking My Faith Seriously Each Human Life Matters .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A week after lethal attacks on Minnesota lawmakers, I look at responses and viewpoints, and how what I believe affects my reaction to the deaths and arrest. )

I mentioned "wildfires in Minnesota’s Arrowhead region" in last week's post. They're still going, and still not national news.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A screenshot of a Google Maps air quality display for central North America (June 3, 2025), and a glance wildfire headlines in Minnesota.)

I'm a huge fan of science, but by training I'm an historian. Or a historian. Either way, as it turned out, the closest I came to being a professional historian was working as a researcher/reporter for a regional historical society in the 1970s. For a few months. And that's another topic. My background and interests help me appreciate the excitement experienced by a grad student who was focusing on the history of science.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A student found the first of two scrapbooks from the 1883 American Astronomical Society. My take on professionals, amateurs, and attitudes.)

Monday's presidential inauguration may edge the Los Angeles wildfires off the top of my news feed. Momentarily, at least. About that, and results of the election: I'm not political. I haven't and won't frantically declare one candidate or party as America's Only Hope, or hysterically denounce another as That Which Will Destroy Our Fair Nation. Maybe that's why I'm not giddy over the election results. Or plunged into the depths of despair. I do, however, give a rip about what happens in my country and in my world. I have precious little control over national and world events, but there's something I can do: pray.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A short prayer for healing, help, and guidance. Why I think it makes sense, and why I am not either giddy or despondent.)

Former President Jimmy Carter's funeral was at the top of my news feed briefly, earlier this morning. Then the California wildfire headlines bobbed back up: reminding me that living in the frozen north does have advantages. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Fire, winter storm warnings, a weather map, headlines: and why I prefer living in central Minnesota. We have experience, dealing with our weather.)

...I could take many routes, talking about what that bunch of crazy college kids did yesterday (October 20, 2024) in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. Taking my cue from Sixties sensibilities that I still retain — to an extent — I could ponder the perils which their launch posed to the fragile desert biome. Or I could complain that they didn't focus on some sorta-now, sorta-wow, social protest. Instead.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A 79 second YouTube video of the successful University of Southern California rocket launch of October 20, 2024. Plus a news excerpt and my reaction.)

I've been watching NASASpaceflight's YouTube channel's coverage of the SpaceX Starship sixth test flight. Maybe they don't have the polish of old-school broadcast media, but I thoroughly enjoy what they do. That's partly because they're frankly nerdish. And partly because they actually know what they're talking about. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Watching the SpaceX Starship test flight, November 19, 2024. Why I think it matters, and how I see space exploration.)

Sooner or later, I figure someone will develop a spaceplane that takes off from places like Tampa International Airport, carries passengers and cargo to low Earth orbit, and flies back: either to the airport it came from, or the next stop in its flight schedule. It might be a next-generation version of Dawn Aerospace's Aurora, or an advanced Radian Aerospace model. But it won't be Reaction Engines Limited's Skylon. Developing their two-mode SABRE rocket engine ended up costing too much and taking too long. I'll take a quick look at Skylon. After that, I'll take a longer look at Seattle-based Radian Aerospace's PFV01 spaceplane. PFV01, a prototype of Radian's Aurora spaceplane, is the one that's been making test flights near Abu Dhabi. Closing the Book on Skylon Radian Aerospace PFV01: Another Step Test Flights Living With and Working Around Rules Rocket Sled — — To the Stars More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Reaction Engines Ltd. de...

A little over a week from now, November 5, I plan on going to Sauk Centre's polling place. Then I'll vote. I'm not looking forward to that. But I'll vote anyway. That's because I'm an American. Voting is part of being a responsible citizen. Since I'm also a Catholic, voting responsibly involves comparing how we should behave to what the candidates have been saying and — perhaps more to the point — doing. If one of the candidates struck me as an obviously-good choice, then I would cast my vote for that one: and maybe say that you should, too. But I'm stuck with the reality we're experiencing. So instead, I'll — Share links to resources that discuss the 'should behave' aspects of public life Mention why I think voting makes sense Look forward to not seeing election angst in my news feed This week's post is shorter than most: Citizenship Without Hate and Fear: Resources Hot Button Issues and Loving My Country Anyway Obli...