Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Central Minnesota, including Stearns County/St. Cloud area. (Google Maps) No matter how it turns out, this is not good news. And it's uncomfortably close to home.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (My brief reaction to a priest being charged with of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, stalking, three counts of threatening violence.)

Psalms 98:4; and sunrise over the Pacific Ocean, seen from the ISS. (2003) This week I'll talk about 818, a house I lived in as a child and youth; and why gratitude is a good idea. House Numbers, Names, and Memories One House, Three Kitchens The Basement and a Clothes Chute Noisy Switches and Quiet Light Bulbs The Back Yard, a Landing, and an Experience Gratitude: a Work in Progress ... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Memories of a place I lived as a child and youth. Why my parents unscrewed light bulbs and wanted a fenced in back yard. Why I see gratitude as a good idea.)

My wife grew up in a very "Catholic" family. That doesn't mean what you might think it does: old-fashioned clothes, candles everywhere, too many children, and the girls brought up to be doormats. Okay, granted: my wife is the second of seven kids. But I can't think of one of the other six who's redundant. Then there's the matter of how my in-laws brought up their children. Take, for example, the time someone from the high school called my father-in-law with an grave concern regarding my wife's younger sister.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Growing up in a very Catholic family meant was counter-cultural, but not the way you might think.)

I'm keeping it short this week, (finally) telling how this summer's infection turned out, and sharing a poem my father wrote. A New Normal and a North Window "Autumn Yard Work" and Rejoicing Don't worry, by the way. The poem is short: only 14 words, including the title. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A short post. How the summer's infection changed my daily routine, and a short seasonal poem my father wrote. Also paying attention and rejoicing.)

This was an unusually good Sunday morning for me. Our part of Sauk Centre has been getting new paving, sidewalks, and utilities. Or, rather, the old ones are being replaced. The folks doing it have been working in stages, so no one address had their street access cut off for more than a few days to a week or so. Except for Our Lady of the Angels, the parish church for this household. When the street and sidewalk on the church's north side was torn up, we'd been told that the job would be done and we could use the church again by the end of summer. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (We have been sharing facilities with another parish since spring. A job that should have been finished during summer got complicated.)

"I've been poor and I've been rich. Rich is better!" (Attr. Beatrice Bakrow Kaufman ; from Leonard Lyons' column, The Washington Post (May 12, 1937) ... via Wikiquote) Whoever said that first, I think the one-liner makes sense. This week I'm talking about a new book, "The Art of Spending Money". Instead of rehashing the usual budget advice, Morgan Housel shows how you can make yourself miserable by thinking about money the wrong ways. That actually makes sense, since knowing what's daft helps you avoid 'what everybody knows' about money and life. Bottom line, I think there's considerable good sense in Mr. Housel's book. But something he said about treating money and religion — gave me an opportunity to look at curiosity from a Catholic viewpoint. Living on the Income Ladder's Less Showy Rungs "...Simple Choices for a Richer Life": Money and Making Sense Happiness is NOT Having Just a Little More Money...

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'd planned on talking about something else this week. But that's not going to happen: partly because part of Thursday got spent at the local clinic. There's still an open sore on my left leg. Several, actually, in a little cluster. That hasn't , happily, been keeping me from Sunday Mass.... And that brings me to what I'll talk about this week: a few of the basic obligations that come with being a Catholic. It's pretty simple, actually.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Being, staying, or getting healthy matters. But it is not my top priority. I look at some of the basic obligations that come with being a Catholic.)

First, the good news. The open sore on my left leg is not infected. Frustrating news: it's still there. And, recently, it started getting bigger again. I'm told that’s because the stuff oozing out of it is mildly acidic, and breaks down skin that it’s in prolonged contact with. Unpleasant. On the other hand.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (I am treating an open sore on my leg. I talk, briefly, about what I am doing, and why taking reasonable care of my health is not a conflict with my faith.)

This isn't unexpected: " Pope Francis has died on Easter Monday aged 88 " Devin Watkins, Vatican News (April 21, 2025) "At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words:... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Pope Francis died Monday morning, April 21, 2025. I take a very quick look at what Vatican News said, and a quicker look at how I feel.)

It's Holy Thursday of Holy Week, the day we celebrate and remember the Last Supper: when Jesus established the Eucharist and washed the feet of his disciples. It's a big deal, and I didn't get to Mass today. I'm not happy about that. What happened was a scheduling problem and — more basically — an exercise of balancing immediacy and priority.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Holy Thursday is a big deal, but I spent part of in in the local clinic. I talk about why I was there, and why Holy Thursday matters.)

Father Mark Botzet's talked about changes in our diocese last week, let me have a copy of his text/transcript: and added footnotes, all of which I greatly appreciate. One of those footnotes included the URL of an overview page that includes a video from Bishop Neary, links to a "guiding change document", and — well, here's that link: All Things New — Diocese of Saint Cloud The Pastoral Planning Process Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future Diocese of St. Cloud Apart from adding headings, I've kept Fr. Botzet's homily text/transcript as I received it: including punctuation and capitalization. I figure that helps retain the sound and feel of what we heard at Our Lady of the Angels last Sunday. Forgetting What Lies Behind — Working Toward What Lies Ahead Something New Engaging the Laity Called Forward to Embrace the Future Prudent Stewardship Embrace the Upward Calling of God I'll wrap up this week's post with why I don't think nos...

We prayed for Pope Francis at Mass yesterday. I've added a prayer to my daily routine. It sounds like there'll be more prayers in St. Peter's Square this evening. Our pope's health is emphatically not good. But as the old Minnesota saying goes: "it could be worse".... In this case, part of the good news is that Pope Francis hasn't had a repeat of Saturday morning's "respiratory crisis", his kidney issues are still not his major health problem, and "...the thrombocytopenia remains stable...". (Vatican News (February 24, 2024))... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Pope Francis, health, and prayer. News from the Vatican: and Minnesota. Why I pray and take my prescriptions: and why that makes sense.) ( "thrombocytopenia"?!! Don't worry: reined myself in and didn't ramble on about it.)

"Vatican to consider classifying 'spiritual abuse' as a new Catholic crime" was in my Google News feed this morning.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Pope Francis wants folks in the Dicastery for Legislative Texts to review rules dealing with folks who misuse alleged supernatural experiences.)

"...All of us dwell under the same sky. All of us are moved by the beauty revealed in the cosmos and reflected in the study of the heavenly bodies and substances. In this sense, we are united by the desire to discover the truth about how this marvellous universe operates; and in this, we draw ever closer to the Creator...." ( Address to Participants in the Summer Course of the Vatican Observatory , Pope Francis (June 11, 2016)) My interest in science started as a fascination with dinosaurs. By the time I left high school, that fascination included astronomy, physics, cosmology, and more. My academic specialties were history and English, but I never lost my intense interest in pretty much everything else. That didn't change when I became a Catholic — partly because where my faith is involved, paying attention to the wonders and beauty surrounding us isn't a problem. The Enigmatic IRAS Ghost Nebula Impressions Stars in the Making: the HP Tau Triplet More...

A paper published this month doesn't so much tell us what's inside a neutron star, as show what's not inside. Considering how little we know about these immensely-dense stellar objects, that's a significant step toward understanding the things. I'll take a look at that, but mostly I'll be talking about what we've been learning, and why I think paying attention to this wonder-packed universe is a good idea. Even if — maybe because — this Haldane quote, written a few years before we knew about neutron stars, still reflects how God's universe has been surprising us. "Now, my own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose…." (" Possible Worlds and Other Essays ", p. 286, J. B. S. Haldane (1927) via Wikiquote) Squishy (?) Stars, Strange States of Matter Supernova! Neutron Stars: Gravity, Math, and Weirdness "...Astronomers Still Don't Know...." New Vi...

My parish is Our Lady of the Angles in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. It's part of the Parishes on the Prairie Catholic Community — and that's a topic for another time. Aside from routine matters, we're not exactly at the center of diocesan activity. That's why I think our priest, Fr. Greg Paffel, getting this year's diocesan Humanae Vitae Award is a big deal. I'll be talking about that, briefly, "Humanae Vitae", and why I think human life matters. Cultural, Historical, and Personal Context "The True Voice of the Church...." My First Look at Catholic Thought Why Human Life Matters Obedience and Using my Brain Natural Law, Positive Law, and Paying Attention Seeing Human Beings as People Meanwhile, Across the Pacific Fr. Greg Paffel: The Journey Home Interview Valuing Human Life: All Human Life More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Humanae Vitae, On Human Life: cultural, historical, and personal context; natural law, positiv...

Scientists have found gene groups we have in common with nearly all animals: thousands of them, from code library that's more than half a billion years old. I'll be talking about that this week, plus why I see no problem with studying this vast and ancient universe. Still Learning Life's Long Story Bilateral Symmetry and Oh, Look! It's a — Thing Bilaterians: 700,000,000 Years of Building on the Basics Ancient Genes, Rewritten Gene Duplication: Let the Modding Begin! Faith and Reason, Science and Religion "Truth Cannot Contradict Truth" Four Centuries in Europe: the Black Death, Wars, and a Label A King, the Age of Enlightenment, and a Few Good Ideas English Politics and All-too-Familiar Attitudes Using my Brain, Admiring God's Universe More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Discovery: bilaterians, animals with right and left sides, get thousands of gene groups from our last common ancestor. Plus why science and faith get along.)

Next week's total solar eclipse won't be total here in central Minnesota. I'm not terribly disappointed, since the odds are that I couldn't see it anyway. There's rain in the five-day forecast. We need rain a great deal more than I need to see a total eclipse of the sun, so I've got at least two reasons for not being terribly disappointed. Eclipses: Predictable, But Not Locally Frequent Headlines, Religion, and Me NASA's Eclipse Chasers God, This Universe, and "Even Greater Admiration" More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (A very quick look at eclipses, the news, and how I see science and religion. Plus an embedded NASA eclipse chasers video.)

I did a Google search for [patron saint depression] the other day, and got this gem: How did the Saints deal with depression?" [redacted] [August 2023] "There is no evidence they had depression, they lived in faith, that Everything is controlled by God, and they accepted God's Will in all ..." Not long before, someone in an online conversation had said 'I'm dealing with depression, and need help'. Along with potentially-helpful responses, someone chastised the supplicant. Seems that good Christians trust God and never experience such things as depression. That gave me this week's topic. Dealing With Depression — and Suicide Depression, Faith, and Making Decisions Assorted Saints Teresa of Ávila: Mystic and Troublemaker Becoming a Saint Cultural Legacies and a Disclaimer João Duarte Cidade, AKA Saint John of God Saint Benedict Joseph Labre Poverty, Terminal Illness, and Ham Sandwiches Doing My Daily Prayers Dark Night of the Soul...