“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know Himself— so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth and themselves.”
-St. John Paul II Preface to Fides et Ratio
Fides et Ratio Reflections
This Sunday is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity or “Trinity Sunday.”
In Chapter 1 of Fides et ratio, “The Revelation of God’s Wisdom,” St. John Paul II identifies the crucial role of the wing of faith in the search for and love of true wisdom (“philosophy”).
He writes, “Underlying all the Church’s thinking is the awareness that she is the bearer of a message which has its origin in God himself (cf. 2 Cor 4:1-2). The knowledge which the Church offers to man has its origin not in any speculation of her own, however sublime, but in the word of God which she has received in faith (cf. 1 Th 2:13). At the origin of our life of faith there is an encounter, unique in kind, which discloses a mystery hidden for long ages (cf. 1 Cor 2:7; Rom 16:25-26) but which is now revealed: ‘In His goodness and wisdom, God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of His will (cf. Eph 1:9), by which, through Christ, the Word made flesh, man has access to the Father in the Holy Spirit and comes to share in the divine nature.’ This initiative is utterly gratuitous, moving from God to men and women in order to bring them to salvation. As the source of love, God desires to make himself known; and the knowledge which the human being has of God perfects all that the human mind can know of the meaning of life” (No. 7).
In section Nos. 8 and 9, he summarizes the teaching of the First Vatican Council (1869-70) that there are two orders of knowledge (two wings) which lead to the Creator: reason and faith. But the order of faith is a unique response to Divine Revelation and its immeasurable mysteries which cannot be known by reason alone.
St. John Paul II ends this first chapter with an appeal to contemplation of the uniquely revealed Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: “These considerations prompt a first conclusion: the truth made known to us by Revelation is neither the product nor the consummation of an argument devised by human reason. It appears instead as something gratuitous, which itself stirs thought and seeks acceptance as an expression of love. This revealed truth is set within our history as an anticipation of that ultimate and definitive vision of God which is reserved for those who believe in Him and seek Him with a sincere heart. The ultimate purpose of personal existence, then, is the theme of philosophy and theology alike. For all their difference of method and content, both disciplines point to that ‘path of life’ (Ps 16:11) which, as faith tells us, leads in the end to the full and lasting joy of the contemplation of the Triune God” (No. 15).
May our observance of Trinity Sunday give us a glimpse of that full and lasting joy.
It's About Time
Groundbreaking for a New Catholic School in Grand Forks
Bishop Folda, Pastors, and School Leaders Break Ground (Photo credit: KVRR News)
On Monday, May 20, I rejoiced with all who gathered for symbolic breaking ground for the new “St. Carlo Acutis Middle School” in Grand Forks. Located just across the street from the current St. Michael’s School, it will serve 6th, 7th, and 8th graders from St. Michael’s, Holy Family, and St. Mary’s Parishes as part of the “All Saints Catholic Schools Network” there.
Bishop John Folda reflected that “The opportunity to begin this new middle school named for St. Carlo Acutis really is a cause for great joy,” noting that we now have 15 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Fargo.
Shanley Graduation
On Wednesday, May 20, five “Prime Time” speakers addressed our 64 Shanley graduates on their Graduation Day.
In reverse chronological order, Molly Flaherty ’26 (daughter of Missy Dahl Flaherty ’94) spoke in her senior address to her peers about fulfilling their promise and potentiality (as went the song from grade school days). She ended her talk with St. Catherine of Siena’s quotation: “Be who God made you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
Theology teacher Mr. Brandon Schott ’14 (son of Don Schott ’78) spoke in his commencement address to the graduates about the virtue of magnanimity as well as their unique gifts and common vocation.
At the luncheon, Sophia Flieth ’26 recited the Sonnet she composed, “Glimmering White.”
Social Studies teacher Ms. Gretchen Rademacher encouraged the graduates to learn from their failures.
Bishop John Folda, in his Baccalaureate Mass homily, spoke of the new path before the graduates and encouraged an openness to all the new opportunities for God’s graces in their lives.
Congratulations and all the best to all our Shanley graduates!
St. Bede
On Monday, May 25, we observed “Memorial Day” as a nation and “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church” as a Church.
On that day we also remembered one of my heroes, St. Bede, Priest and Doctor of the Church. He was renowned as “Venerable” even during his lifetime for his holiness, wisdom, and scholarship—a seamless unity of the “Two Wings” tradition.
An English Benedictine monk, he was “the most observant and the happiest of all monks.” He loved the Sacred Scriptures and wrote many commentaries, translations, and reflections. He also wrote the first history of England (my copy pictured above) and greatly influenced the development of language. He died at his monastery in Jarrow, England, a northern outpost at the edge of the then frontier in 735 AD.
A line of St. Bede’s captivated me from the moment I first read it: “I have always found delight in learning, teaching, and writing.” I now include that quotation in the syllabus of any class I teach, and it is also in the footer of this weekly blogpost.
St. Bede, model of faithful scholarship: “Pray for us.”
President’s Proverb
“For to have the fruition of God the Trinity, after Whose image we are made, is indeed the fullness of our joy, than which there is no greater.”
–St. Augustine
Hagstrom’s Attempt at Humor (HAAH!)
Sunday Psalm Sampler
“Everything written about Me in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
-Luke 24:22b
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (Year A)
- Lectionary Readings: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity | USCCB
- Responsorial Psalm: Daniel 3:52-56
- Responsorial Refrain: “Glory and praise for ever!” (Dan 3:52b)
- Chris Brunelle’s YouTube Recording: R&A Psalm The Most Holy Trinity 2026, Daniel 3
Our Psalm Response this Trinity Sunday is not from the book of Psalms.
Rather, it is another song of praise—in this case from the Book of Daniel—proclaimed by Abednego, one of the three young men tossed into the fiery furnace by the enraged King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar.
His exuberant song also makes for a fitting response for us to the revelation of the gratuitous Mystery of the Holy Trinity: “Glory and praise for ever!” (Dan. 3:52b).
Our President
Mike Hagstrom
Mike Hagstrom was named President of St. John Paul II Catholic Schools and Director of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Fargo on March 15, 2016, and officially assumed the role on July 1, 2016. In his application for the position, he described his leadership philosophy as one of stewardship, writing:
“My approach would be that of stewardship of the great gift of Catholic Schools. With the help of God’s grace and all our stakeholders, we can be good stewards together, ensuring that our schools not only survive, but thrive. They are designed for human flourishing, forming the whole person, each and every student made in God’s image and likeness, endowed with a transcendent dignity and destiny.”
Before stepping into diocesan leadership, Mike dedicated 31 years to Shanley High School, where he taught Religion and served in a variety of leadership roles. During his time there, he embodied the spirit of St. Bede’s words: “I have always found delight in learning, teaching, and writing.”
Mike earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in Systematic Theology from Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He and his wife, Shawn, are the proud parents of two Shanley graduates, Therese (’08) and Joseph (’16), and grandparents to James and Oliver.
