Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Noted in my news feed this morning: " One spouse is enough, Vatican tells world's Catholics " Joshua McElwee, Reuters (November 25, 2025) "Happily ever after doesn't require any complicated maths, the Vatican said on Tuesday -- for Catholics, one spouse is enough. "In a new decree approved by Pope Leo, the Vatican's top doctrinal office told the world's 1.4 billion Catholics they should seek to marry one spouse for life and should not have multiple sexual relationships. ... "The document does not discuss divorce, which the Church does not recognise as it views marriage as a lifelong commitment. " The Church however has an annulment process, which evaluates whether marriages were properly contracted , and stresses that partners are not expected to stay in abusive relationships. " [emphasis mine] This is not what I'll be talking about this week. But it's got the potential for becoming 'breaking news!', so I'll ...

Our first apartment was in Fargo, North Dakota ; in the square mile south of Main Avenue and between I-29 and 25th Street South . I don't know how Fargo zoned that land. From what was there, my guess is that the designation would translate into 'meh, whatever'. Our apartment was on the top floor, and had a nice floor plan. Bedrooms were on either side of a living area. A kitchen and bath shared a wall with that floor's corridor. That's the good news. Something was wrong with the place.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Learning an important part of holding a baby that is not in in parenting guides . Recognizing and accepting the vocation my oldest child chose.)

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.)

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.)

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.)

A happy memory from our time on Buford Avenue in the early 1960s — I talked about that a couple weeks back 1 — is planting an acorn from one of the oaks there. An Acorn and Memories Among the many things I don't remember from that time is when we planted it. I suspect it was in the fall, since that's apparently a good season for starting an oak seedling. 2 And by spring; well, life was getting interesting, and that's another topic. Now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure we planted the acorn after we returned to Moorhead. Seasons Whatever season it was, I remember being happy when the acorn sprouted: and impressed at the size of the leaf. A full-size oak leaf on a tiny stem. My oak flourished in the back yard of 818. 3 Time passed.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Happy memories involving an acorn, two trees, three homes, and a library. Legacies and a few thoughts about trees, the Sixties, and all that.)

I Googled Sauk Centre history this week. I learned that the Minnesota Historical Society's website has back issues of our town's Sauk Centre Herald — and an impressive set of records connected with the Sauk Centre Home School for Girls, AKA Minnesota Correctional Facility-Sauk Centre. Focusing on conventional publications, government officials, and their institutions, has some merit. But so does remembering what happened when schoolkids found a skunk in a woodpile. A literal skunk in an actual woodpile.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Bringing explosives to school: cultural and historical context. Or: what happened when kids found a skunk in a woodpile.)

I can't claim Abraham as an ancestor. My ancestors very likely hadn't even heard of Abraham and Isaac until missionaries arrived, and I've mentioned that before. I have, however, learned a bit about our Lord's family history. That brings me to the Elijah cup my wife and I bought, some years back. Make that decades. My wife and I got it while in Minnesota's Twin Cities, for a brother-in-law's wedding, which puts it in the 1990s. Elijah's Cup in Context "Remember This Day...." Moses, Pharaoh — — The Late Bronze Age Collapse, George Washington, and Me Overheard While Getting Our Elijah's Cup Taking Traditions Seriously (More at A Catholic Citizen in America .) (How and why the Passover Seder began, What I think about Moses, academic fashions, and buying either a properly-prepared item or a cheap imitation.) (I know: this topic is related to Lent, not Advent. But it's what I came up with this week.)

Last Sunday's Gospel reading was about Jesus healing a man who couldn't hear or speak. 1 So that's what Fr. Greg talked about: along with how it ties in how we're living today. A tip of the hat to Fr. Greg, for letting me make a transcript of his homily: Healing the Deaf Mute of Decapolis (1) One-On-One Healing (2) Touching His Ears (3) "Unusual to Us" — Jesus Spits (4) A Second Touch (5) Jesus Looks Up to Heaven (6) He Groans (7) Ephphatha! The Purpose of the Messiah Sidon, the Decapolis, and a World of Gentiles Deafness as a Cultural Preference Babies, Birth Rates, Families: and Statistics The Greatest Blessings on Earth Valuing Children Looking Ahead Planning Ahead, and Praying Video: Gospel Reading and Homily at St. Paul's, Sauk Centre, MN; September 8, 2024 More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A guest post by Fr. Greg Paffel: showing how healing the deaf mute of Decapolis applies to how we should live today. Valuing...

My interest in the Olympics is mild at best. This year, I’m glad that I lack a deep emotional connection to what’s happening in Paris. Mainly because of the remarkable “Festivité” show. I don't think this year's performance art at the big sporting event's opening ceremony will affect its popularity. Too many folks get too excited about other folks showing what they can do for that. And a drag show — that we're told was not made to look like Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" — apparently doesn't clash with the Olympic Charter's high ideals. 1 Even so, I think this communiqué/bulletin from the Vatican makes sense.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (The Festivite part of the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony is still in the news. I look at why French bishops, the Vatican, and I, do not approve.)

Folks have a great many ways of dealing with grief and loss. For example, folks at the hospital took a photo of our youngest daughter. She died shortly before birth. That photo's on an 'in loving memory of' memorial card — I think that's what it's called — that's tucked into the corner of our wedding picture.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Mimicking dead people with an AI avatar / chatbot could help folks deal with grief and loss. My quick glance at this new wrinkle on old practices.)

Text characters, the ones used online at any rate, include symbols that aren't letters of the alphabet, punctuation, or numbers. So far, so obvious. I was replying to comments this afternoon, and figured I'd use the emoji/dingbat/whatever "okay" hand sign. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But I also figured that, since folks who don't live in my part of the world read this, I'd better do a little research.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (An unexpectedly naughty gesture &mdash or &mdash why I used a snowflake symbol.)

I've decided to list this post in the "Science News" category, although it doesn’t feature a current news item. That's because some of the tarantula-and-frog research has been news, and current spiders-have-pet-frogs videos remind me of human interest stories, back when print-format newspapers were more common. It's been an interesting week. “ Update: Air Conditioner Fixed 🙂 ” (August 3, 2023) “ Power Failure Last Week, Now Equipment Failure ” (August 2, 2023) That may, or may not, explain why this week's post is a mix of science and creature features of days gone by: Picking This Week’s Topic Big Spider, Little Frog: Helping Each Other Names, Senses and (Maybe) Mutualism Tarantula Research “SCIENCE’S DEADLIEST ACCIDENT”: “Tarantula!” (1955) “Vox Populi…” One Phrase, Two or more Viewpoints Special Effects and Speculation Harmony, Understanding and Medieval Bestiaries And the Moral of this Spider is — More at A Catholic Citizen in ...

Here in central Minnesota, palm fronds are part of our Palm Sunday Mass. We generally take them home, fold them into the shape of a cross while they're still green and pliable, and put them somewhere in the home where they'll be visible. Before next year's Lent, we'll return them to the parish church, where they're burned to make ashes for Ash Wednesday. That's the idea, at any rate. Some years, including this one, I forget about bringing last year's back. Letting that upset me is an option. But not, I think, a reasonable one. And that's another topic. Last weekend, my now-grown son asked my wife about the palm fronds he'd brought home from Mass. That reminded me that it's been 11 years since I made a short video, and 10 since I've shared it online. It's a short (4:26) how-2, showing how we fold our fronds. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (How my family folds palm fronds into a Saint Andrews cross, using a lanyard weave....

I'll be sharing some very odd 19th century Christmas cards today. And rambling a bit about holidays, history and whatever else comes to mind. Briefly, for me. Christmas and New Year's Eve: a Double-Header Solstice Celebration Many if not all folks who experience non-equatorial seasons where they live have some sort of winter solstice celebration. My native culture has two: Christmas and New Year's Eve. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (My winter solstice celebrations, holiday greetings from the ISS, strange Victorian greeting cards and the first Christmas card.)

My culture's Christmas season begins with Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Our traditionally-frenzied holiday shopping season does, at any rate. That's not a particularly good thing, considering what stress can do to folks. On the other hand, America's shopping frenzy inspired "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas." I'll be talking about that, more-or-less-recent news, and events we're still celebrating, two millennia later.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Recent news, holiday stress and a hipster nativity. Yogi Yorgesson and C. S. Lewis: views regarding Christmas. Joseph, Mary and decisions.)

(From Giovanni Paolo Panini, via Staatsgalerie, Stutgard/Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) (Giovanni Paolo Panini's "Ancient Rome" — an 18th century view. (1754-1757)) "...Naiad airs have brought me home To the glory that was Greece, And the grandeur that was Rome...." (" To Helen ," Edgar Allen Poe (1845) via Wikipedia) I've split this week's post into three sections: History 101 and Humanity's Continuing Story About History: Definitions, Documents, and Narratives Will the Real Ancient Rome Please Stand Up? More at A Catholic Citizen in America . Impressions of ancient Rome: morals, Cicero, Sallust and Gibbon. An almost-forgotten King, a president and a thought experiment. Historical narratives.

Easter Sunday is a very big deal. It's "the greatest of all Sundays," since it's when we celebrate our Lord's resurrection. Begin celebrating, actually. The Easter season lasts until Pentecost Sunday: not quite two months from now. Maybe "our Lord's resurrection" sounds routine, familiar, two millennia after that post-Passover surprise. But let's remember that the 12 Apostles, make that 11 after Judas Iscariot killed himself, and everyone else close to Jesus expected him to stay dead. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .