Space to Place

If you ever watch "This Old House" there could be a drinking game with how often they use the word "space" while discussing a remodel. Phrases like: "Tell me about your plans for this space", or "This is a really great space." For some reason, perhaps a desire to be pretentious, they cannot bring themselves to say the name of the room. We are not talking outer space we are talking rooms in a building, or outdoor spaces here on earth. Landscape architects like creating outdoor spaces. These spaces have been around a great deal of time. From the Agora of ancient Greece, to the Forum (both a building and the area surrounding), St Peter's square, to the Wisconsin Capitol grounds. However, what makes spaces important is much more than the area. Let me explore space to place.

Sturgeon Bay, WI, historic downtown

"This Old House" shows us that space is physical manifestation, and represents an area, most often with defined boundaries. On the other hand, place is an area that embodies values, emotions and feelings, which are unique to each person. Place becomes part of us, formed by our experiences and conceptions. Let me use a few examples. We all have our place at the dinner table. In church, for example, we tend to go to our same place at the table. It could be that we are creatures of habit, but it could also be that we find comfort in familiarity and routine, part of what we may value, if not consciously, then subconsciously. I could argue that the habit is part of our emotions and desires, and that helps create space to be a place. We also tend to have locations outside the home that form place. The Wisconsin Capitol building and its square is a majestic place due to it grandeur, the importance it plays in civic life, but more importantly it is a symbol of Wisconsin, the place I have lived my whole life. With the state capitol, varied elements are at work to create a place. I don't feel the same way about the Michigan State Capitol as I do about the Wisconsin Capitol. 

Anywhere USA

As a young boy, I spent countless hours playing in the sandbox, such that when I became a city planner, my dad said Fitchburg was my sandbox. In the sandbox, I built my towns, I was creating spaces, but in the imagination they were representative of  my values, I created places I imagined. As a planner, you work to create not just space, but look to have an area that can become place. Place, is however, difficult to create, because place is not defined by me, but by those who view and use a space, as it becomes endowed with value. That is our sense of place. Each of us posses different values, but out of that we have all created some type of shared place, a spot where some of our values intersect, like a Venn diagram. 

Whimsical bench in Sturgeon Bay

The way we view space is set early in our life, by our experiences, and how we see things. It is often pointed out that as adults are views of space and place are judged in large part on views we formed as a child. In a sense, my sandbox construction perhaps formed me more than I thought. As a planner I realized this and one of my few favorite phrases was that people gravitate to that with which they are most familiar. This is because of how their ideas and experiences have formed them, and so it is with how they view the built environment. 

Morgan Falls

But, as society and development patterns have changed so to does our formation of space. Geographer Yi Fu Tuan once said, "Undifferentiated space becomes place as we get to know it better and endow it with value" How we view and experience a space is what makes it a place. The closer we hold a place to our heart and soul, the more meaning it has, the more we value in that place. Humans wish to be rooted to space, and as social beings, squares and forums are important as are some institutional buildings. 

View from St Peter's Dome

Today, the public square is being replaced by social media, a different form of space (I guess a virtual space), but one that can be more toxic due in large part to anonymity. When one does not have to face a person or talk to another with different views, indifference is more common, and dislike is more likely. Pope Francis, in his encyclical Fratelli tutti, gets to this point when he says: "Working to overcome our divisions without losing our identity as individuals presumes that a basic sense of belonging is present in everyone." Indeed, “society benefits when each person and social group feels truly at home." He then discusses how a family unit contributes and supports each other, and while there will be quarrels, they get resolved, as the unchanging aspect is the family bond. Francis then takes this family bond and applies it to the public square: "If only we could view our political opponents or neighbours in the same way that we view our children or our spouse, mother or father! How good would this be! Do we love our society or is it still something remote, something anonymous that does not involve us, something to which we are not committed?" Francis refers to a path of renewed encounter. Places help form a love for out local society. Our minds are connected to a geography as it provides us with a sense of being, a sense of comfort.

A lot of space for a non-descript place

We lack civil discourse in large part because we lack connection, or encounters with others of different views. Many persons are no longer willing to have a conversation with someone with different views, beliefs and values. The bubble created is self-reinforced, and thus more difficult to break. You fail to understand or appreciate a person with a different viewpoint than your own. Much discourse now is on social media. Now, the snowflakes in the world want a "safe" space, which in reality is a space that shuts them off from different opinions. The built world, I believe, is also changing our perception and our value to space.

When I was growing up, downtown Sun Prairie was still the main central business area. The mass movement to malls (East Towne), and later big boxes had yet to fully be manifested. It was the old style downtown that so many like to view, but will not shop. The downtown made an impression on me, as did the rural sprawled developments, and led to my career choice. Old downtowns had formed many of my generation and before, it held some value to us. Later generations, growing up with big boxes, will never appreciate downtowns of smaller communities in quite the same way, because their formation was by malls and big boxes, those non-descript everywhere America areas. If they do appreciate the old downtowns it will be as antithesis to the impersonal malls and big boxes. The New Urbanist movement is trying to alter that, but it is not quite the same. As much as they try in some places it seems more contrived. 

New Urbanist Development in Fitchburg, WI

Some elements of space and place span varied cultures. For example, we live in house, but we call it a home. That house is the structure, home is the expression of our value to that structure, it is place We form memories from our experiences in the house, that make it our home. These memories are an expression of us, and of what we value. My wife probably has a different take on some memories in our house than I do, but each is important in our own personal relationship. 

Building architecture is often an expression of what one values. People like to use the word "iconic" to describe what they believe should be a signature building. There exists a strong relationship to architecture and art to a space becoming a place. It occurs in large projects and smaller projects. Big Bear Hideaway in Boulder Junction, in its use of stone, and logs, was an expression not only of its location in the Wisconsin Northwoods, but an expression of the values of its builder, who valued local timber and stone over distant materials. A gathering space at the Gazebo and firepit draw persons from different units together. You get someone like my youngest sister with persons from different units at the fire pit, and you never know where the conversation will lead. It functions as a miniature from of the public square. It is a space that is meant to become a place to people who visit. The hand construction and detailing, further engage some of the senses, which assists in the movement to a place.  

Wood Sculpture at Big Bear hideaway
under outdoor pavilion 

But, space becoming place does not have to be man-made. It can be the natural environment. Our values express what we think, what we appreciate. We may be insignificant in the vast part of nature, but we are not insignificant in our own lives. We are a small aspect in a larger universe, but we know that we mean something to someone else. Sometimes it is the journey that forms our sense of place. The hike up to St Peter's dome several years ago helped me more appreciate the awesome wonder of looking over the view of Lake Superior, and of the small brooks we passed and crossed. The journey was important. It formed a memory. It was a special type of place. 

Big Bear Hideaway wood sculpture

Lambeau Field is an iconic venue in football, because of the memories people hold from the great plays from the teams that played on its field. As Marquette beat Xavier to win the Big East Tournament, Coach Shaka Smart talked about how winning at such a place made the win even more special. That is what place does. 

Like old downtowns, more and more persons are growing up without a connection to a faith tradition and the building that was used for that purpose. Some religious structures even invoke a sense of place to those not a member of the religious tradition. When Notre Dame Cathedral in Parish burned in 2019, many Parisians, and people of no faith and different faiths were sad at the horrible event. It was a place, a symbol for the French, as the Wisconsin Capitol is a symbol for Wisconsin. Notre Dame, which was almost left to rot after the Reign of Terror, was revitalized when Napoleon saw it as a symbol, and expression of France. Cathedrals played an important role in people's lives. Notre Dame, appropriately, was a place where peasant and royal could both go with distinction of rank or wealth. Today, as it is being rebuilt and expected to open in Dec 2024, but its value to secular France is different than when it was originally built. Yet, it will always be a Church, with its architecture and art could transcend you into another world. It did what it was meant to do, and that was why it became important.

St Peter's Square, Vatican City
One of the world's great public spaces

A structure does not have to be grand or great to be of importance. There are small chapels spread out throughout Wisconsin, built by a person of faith to recognize and give thanks. These small chapels are a very present expression of the values that person held. They are not Notre Dame, but to family who is tied to it provides a great deal of meaning. One such chapel exists in what is Lake Farm County Park, in Dane County, WI, built in 1857, by John Endres when his family survived the diphtheria epidemic. Hand built with stones he and his son hauled to the high point on the hill, it is simple, but in its simplicity it sung to his soul, and for some it sings to theirs as well. 

Historic Downtown, Redwing, MN

When it comes to having to close churches in the Madison Diocese in a couple years, it will be heart wrenching for some. There are many who have strong connections with their church building, it brings memories, it was a place that brought comfort in time of sorrow. Place is important to our minds and our souls as it provides us a connection. The place is a manifestation, and tangible part of connection. People need to have that experience. Those baptisms, weddings, funerals, first communions, and confirmations presented events of importance. It is not just a church, it is a place that its parishioners endowed with value, perhaps as much as value was endowed in them. It was a place for the soul to transcend the tasks and complications of everyday life. That is why places are important. Those local churches may hold more meaning to a person than a grand cathedral they once visited, because that local church holds more meaning to the person. The Endres family built chapel overlooking Indian Lake expressed the values of that family.

A place can be quickly drained of meaning by a negative experience. St Augustine's home town became haunting and a site of misery to him after the death of a good friend. We see this with places that have experienced mass casualty events. A place once of beauty and positive to a person or group now becomes profane. Yet, people are resilient, and attempt to bring meaning to their sorrow. Roadside memorials are common where flowers are left of the spot where a loved one had a devastating car crash. That small gesture is meant to give a sense of place to a location of grief.

Place is a space that has been formed by our values. Many spaces have the same or similar meaning to many in the community. I think of the Wisconsin Capitol, or Notre Dame Cathedral. But, place does not have to be of grand architecture, the chapel at Indian Lake Co Park being one example. The grandness may be in the architecture and setting, but what really makes a place grand is how and what each person conveys to a space, and the feelings and emotions expressed to make it a place. Space is one of the building blocks of place, but the most important is how people of varied backgrounds can create a sense of place through shared values. 

Photos by author

 

Into the Abyss

When I was growing up much of our educational, spiritual and even part of our social life revolved around Sacred Hearts Church and School in Sun Prairie. Sacred Hearts was somewhat unique at the time of its founding as German and Irish, many recent immigrants, together started the church. Sun Prairie was a heavily Catholic community at the time, and that institution played a large role in the village and later city. Catholic parishes were often the mainstay in immigrant urban neighborhoods from Boston to St Louis. They were places of comfort for the Eastern European and Irish immigrants and the next generation or two that were harassed, vilified and discriminated by the dominant and privileged WASP culture in the United States. Attached schools allowed for many to advance in society and move to college and many to professional schools. As I read and pondered the clerical assignments coming from Bishop Hying's "Into the Deep" process, my thoughts turned to a different time, when a person could count on their parish, their parish priest and the parish community. Unfortunately, that is quickly becoming a relic of the past, and with his new pastorates, diocesan leadership is leading the diocese into the abyss.

For many years, the Diocese of Madison has been in decline. The current leadership desires to manage the decline through its "Into the Deep" initiative. This process is to also supposed to revitalize the dwindling numbers that remain. To meet many of the stated goals, churches will have to close which will lead to further decline. The only numbers with some stability in the diocese, they say, are the Catholic School enrollment, and the number of priests. Every other metric is in decline. It is another matter to try to explain this decline, which the head of the diocese blames on a secular culture, or what he calls a "society working against the Gospel." Bishop Hying conveniently fails to place any blame on the church and its ills, from sex abuse, to its treatment of woman, and how it has failed society and the larger world. Hying perhaps desires more a disengagement from reality. (When I suggested that Hying ask the Vatican to dissolve the Madison Diocese and place it back to LaCrosse and Milwaukee I never heard back, my thought was if the church is in decline so to should its overwhelming bureaucracy.)

The Preacher of the Papal Household, on March 3, 2023 noted the error of disengagement in a sermon during Lent: "The history of the Church in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries has left us a bitter lesson that we should not forget so as not to repeat the mistake that caused it. I speak of the delay (indeed of the refusal) to take note of the changes that had taken place in society, and of the crisis of Modernism that was its consequence." Institutional arrogance and hypocrisy (clericalism) have caused a crisis in the Catholic Church. Failure of the US Hierarchy to respect Cardinal Bernardin's "Common Ground" initiative is not unlike what was said by Cardinal Cantalamessa on March 3. Arrogance only fosters decline. Perhaps for years the Holy Spirit has been trying to tell the Church hierarchy, and its clerics something, but they have failed to listen. Instead for many years the Church, with its arrogance, became more exclusionary, more doctrinaire and more pharisaical. It has failed to engage. Many (particularly young) clerics are more interested in power than service, more interested in doctrine than faith, and more interested is punishment than mercy.

Pastorate 25 Assignments

The Into the Deep process will lead to more decline and disenfranchisement of Catholics. Perhaps a new way of doing Church will be required, but I fear Hying's clerical mindset sees only the importance of clergy. With the pastorates being formed, generally about 3 priests will handle from two to seven churches. They will become circuit riders unable to fully engage and create meaningful relationships with the faithful--the Church of Christ. The pastor at St Albert's is being reassigned to a grouping that includes six churches and two schools. He noted that if he desired to visit every church in one day, he would have to travel 94 miles. We are not talking interstate travel, but the old cow town routes. Hying may well want to foster a continued disengagement from the real world, so he can create an even more isolated bubble. But, the reality he looks to create is far distant from the historic underpinnings of the role a parish, and a parish priest, played for the faithful and the larger community. It should be as no surprise that Hying likely holds to the mantra, just obey, pay, and pray. And, in that order.

Pastorate 25 map

The pastor is the face of the local church (parish), now pastorate, and lack of a meaningful relationship with the laity will detract and diminish parish life. I just do not see how it is possible for the pastor, or parochial administrator, to develop a strong and meaningful relationships at up to several different churches and the respective local community. Not only that, but many of those who had the relationships with their parish community are now being uprooted. 

My wife and I did an analysis of the priest reassignments with the new pastorates. There are a total of 83 priests, with 54 moving, and 29 staying. A 65% move rate. This shows a distinct effort to upend relationships of a faith community and its priest. Take a look at what I call the Sun Prairie pastorate. All current priests are moving, including the pastor at Sacred Hearts, in which he had a tenure of a few years. He is experienced and was ordained in 1988, being replaced by a priest who was ordained just ten years ago. Hying has taken away any relationship with the faithful in favor of a new priest, with less experience. The Sacred Hearts pastorate includes four churches and two schools. However, lucky for me and my wife, the pastor at Sacred Hearts is being assigned to the pastorate that includes St Ann's in Stoughton, which we have been attending with more frequency. The "Stoughton" pastorate stretches from part of Fitchburg all the way south to Footville, which is west of Janesville.  Footville may see a resurgence when some disaffected Janesville Catholics move out due to the trad clergy being assigned. Fr. Kelley, currently at  Sacred Hearts, said, when he would sell his car he would say it was never driven to church on Sunday--he had always lived right by where he said Sunday mass so he would walk. That will no longer be the case. There will be three priests serving five churches, and one school. Fr. Budnar, who is currently pastor at St Ann's, and a classmate of Tom Kelley's will become a parochial vicar.

Let me cite another example. The priest who led us to leave the church in McFarland has been ordained less than four years, but in the wisdom of the Bishop of Madison, he has been assigned as the parochial administrator, so pastor, in Southwest WI, a grouping of seven churches and four schools. At the same time, a Monsignor who was ordained in 1977, a priest ordained in 1988, another in 1989, as just three examples, are parochial vicars, and no longer pastors. I feel for southwest WI and the school children. They will not see any female altar servers, as he makes the claim that people would think it is a female centric church.  (I am not making this up.) 

Pastorate 14, where Msg Heiar of St Alberts is assigned

St Dennis parish on the east side of Madison is the largest parish in the diocese. It has been very well led by its pastor for ten years. They paid off remodeling debt early, started an equipment replacement fund for parish facilities, and more importantly have an engaged and diverse parish community. This priest is getting shifted to the hinterlands of the diocese with six churches in Buffalo, Westfield, Briggsville, Pardeville, Portage and Montello. In his new assignment he will have two parochial vicars. One would think his skill set could be better appreciated in the urban area. He is being replaced by a priest who currently serves some of those hinterland parishes. 

Parishes vary in makeup and culture, and more and more we see parish cultures, and parishes, being destroyed by the orthodox priests. These priests are often referred to by some as Morlino priests. David Gibson of Fordham University wrote a few months ago: "These absurdly self-styled "orthodox" clergy are driving away the faithful and so only their fanatical fans stay, and then they say "see only my side is growing." Propaganda at its best. The sad thing is that it is believed. If this is true why has downsizing occurred at St Maria Goretti, and Christ the King? With the reassignments, it will occur in the pastorates that include Waunakee, Middleton and Janesville. It is an issue of priestly formation. I believe evidence shows that Morlino priests are a contributing factor to diocesan decline. Before the arrival of its Morlino priest, St Maria Goretti school had over 400 students, it is now less than 100, perhaps 70. The decline first started years ago in Platteville when Bishop Morlino destroyed that parish with a group of conservative priests from Spain. I recall recently reading that order was formed to make money by sending its conservative priests to the US, and of course, Morlino had to bite.  There are several of that order in the diocese. 

Pastorate 24 assignments

So far, Bishop Hying has been smart enough to preserve his golden eggs--Queen of Peace and St Thomas Aquinas--from the negative impact of Morlino priests. Blessed Sacrament, is another golden egg, but is staffed by Dominicans. One could say Hying went out of his way to assure that did not happen. At some time in the next 15 or 20 years the diocese will be left with only Morlino priests, and then the destruction will be near complete. For these young priests and the Bishop, only people of their like mind need apply. 

Pastorate 24 map

The diocese is stable in school enrollment and number of priests, but for all other metrics it is in decline. Even though the civil population in the communities that make up the diocese has significantly increased, the numbers of Catholics is in sharp decline. Given the stability in priest numbers, and the decline in Catholics, I had the thought that the conservatives were inclined to desire decline in order to maintain the old boys club. Yet, with the priest assignments and how priests will become game managers rather than pastors, or circuit riders, and lack an ability to engage their new communities, I offer two suggestions. 

First, hell will freeze over first, but Bishop Hying should suggest to the Vatican that they allow female deacons, so they may have a role at local churches, and the strengthening of relationships of the parish to the community. Female deacons can augment and add to the male diaconate.  Alas, he will not wish to upset the privileges he finds in his all-boys club. As parishioners see a lack of connection with the leadership they become less engaged, and less engaged means less support, and less support leads to failure. Strengthening relationships between clergy and the laity is important, but that does not appear to play a role in Hying's thought process. The Church holds to an outdated model of a single all-male clergy such that I now believe the preeminent desire of the church is not for salvation, the Eucharist, or even the message of the Gospel, but the old boys club. All else in the Church is below and follows this discipline. Female deacons (if not priests) can provide more personnel to build the relationships and be permanent fixtures, rather than game managers and circuit riders. I will not hold my breath because clericalism is inherent in a Church that would rather ignore pleas of the faithful for the sacraments, like in the Amazon, than provide them to the faithful. They invite people to the table and then pull away the food. (See note 1)

Relationships and an ability to relate to the people in the pews are keys to a successful priest. Several years ago one writer (Bill Garvey) at America Magazine wrote the following: 

People feel it’s a nice bonus to have simply a reasonably healthy and balanced priest with some pastoral gifts. It’s a sad state of affairs that I’ve heard echoed over and over even among young clergy. “It continues to surprise me,” a recently ordained Carmelite told me. “If you are real, relatable and make an effort to be relevant to parishioners’ lives, you are a rock star.” Another priest who has filled in at numerous parishes for 10 years told me, “People seem to be so hungry for something more. If you can offer them anything that connects their personal lives to the Gospel, they are incredibly appreciative.”

What struck me is that it is a nice bonus to have reasonably healthy and balanced priest. In other words, the bar for a priest is very low, very low indeed. If such a combination is the exception than the rule, it is a disgrace to the Church and the people they attract. The problem with the self-anointed orthodox clergy is a lack of balance, and pastoral gifts. They focus so much on doctrine they miss the pastoral. Later the writer also makes this valid point: when desiring to invite lapsed Catholics back to mass, it would be good to ask, exactly what are we inviting them back to? "Are we simply welcoming them back to a church that reminds them why they left in the first place?" In many cases, with the young trad priests, the situation presented is probably worse than when they left. 

Fr Randy Timmerman Pastor of St Dennis
making his announcement of his new assignment

Second, to get a healthy and balanced priest the formation process has to change. Dramatically. Even Pope Francis is aware of the problem perpetuated by Morlino and Hying. Pope Francis once said that priestly formation "must form their hearts. Otherwise we are creating little monsters. And then these little monsters mold the people of God. This really gives me goose bumps.” Perhaps the saving grace is the little monsters form only a few since most get disgusted with their antics and leave. In December the "Wall Street Journal" had an article about how the young trad priests don't believe in the teachings of Francis and are beholden to prior popes. Apparently, the teachings of the Magisterium only matter when they are of like mind to the young trad. Hying is catering to a group of priests who have a dislike for the Magisterium. It was just 11 years ago that it was heresy in their mind to criticize the Pope, now it is a regular occurrence, led by clergy, laity, bishops and Cardinals.

It is ironic how those who proclaim Roman Catholicism as the one true faith, and demand Eucharist coherence are the ones keeping people from experiencing what the Church has (had?) to offer, by creating a preeminent "doctrine" of an single all-male priesthood over all else. For over 50 years the solution has been to pray for more vocations. Instead, the souls are leaving. And, it is not just in the West. Think of the Amazon where the faithful have to wait a year or more for communion. If you are in the Amazon and want a mass of Christian burial you better time your death for when the priest arrives. If he can find the time to say your funeral mass with all his other duties for the day or so he shows up. The Amazon lacks the financial strength to buy priests from overseas as the Madison Diocese has done for many years. Catholics, in South America (and even in the US) are moving to Evangelical churches where the minister lives just down the road, and can provide the spiritual guidance you may need. To hell with the laity--it is all about a single all-male clergy, the old boys club whose decisions are destroying the faithful and their Church. 

As Morlino priests cause more to parishioners to leave, and as the upper age cohort die off, there will be fewer and fewer people and contributions. Just over 17% of parishioners account for 82% of contributions to the Church. They are not Gen Z'ers that will be around awhile. You can read more about the statistics here. Further, the next step will be closures of buildings to get to Hying's self-anointed criteria of 50% of masses at 50% attendance. As this occurs more people will be lost. As one canon lawyer wrote: 

I believe from my experience and from other canon lawyers with experience in these cases, that when a merger or suppression is started, forty percent of the parishioners it affects will not go along to get along in the Catholic Church. They will not go to the newly named or appointed parish. They just will not. We lose them and we lose them for good. I absolutely believe this and I am gutted by it. I just wish the Church were as concerned as me. (Dugan, Patricia M. Canon Law 101, "Parish Closures are killing the Catholic Church," Aug 18, 2020.)

As Hying leads the diocese into the abyss, I am estimating, based on the 2021 numbers, that from 45% to 60% of the churches in the diocese will have to close. They could leave the smallest in each pastorate open, in order better meet the metrics. In the CTK pastorate, using diocesan attendance numbers, the seating capacity (at one time) is 1,744 for all three churches, yet total attendance (at the total number of masses held) was only 50%. Proving this, CTK, had its attendance for one weekend in August 2022 posted in their bulletin. The attendance at those three masses did not even approach the 50% seating capacity of the church. Thus, if all who were at three masses, attended one mass the church would be at less than 50% capacity. As a thought experiment, let us say that 33% of the diocese population of 138,068 are affected by parish closures, that means 45,562 persons are affected, and by Dugan's analysis, that means 18,225 more souls will be lost from the diocese. Then, think of normal attrition by death, or by those upset with the antics of the orthodox priests. 

Dugan says the Vatican does not care about loss of parishes. In this, is the Vatican holding to the desire for a smaller more doctrinaire church, a claim often attributed to Benedict XVI. The problem with Benedict and other trads is they confuse doctrine with faith. How de-evangelizing meets with the Gospel's go and make fishers of men, I do not know. Bishop Hying is creating a slippery slope for a decline that will not only continue, but accelerate. At some point, those young trad-oriented priests will be preaching to a near empty church, only for their fanatical fans. I can't say choir, because even at McFarland, choir members have left. The problem is that Morlino and Hying have played to one main crowd of their like-minded folk. 

My spouse and I lost our spiritual home for over thirty years when that young self-styled orthodox priest was assigned to lead the parish a few years past. Significant decline has occurred with many friends leaving the faith, some not attending, and others joining a different parish, mostly St Dennis. At this point, I am not sure where a new spiritual home to guide us as we age will be. By the priest assignments, I know it will not be Christ the King in McFarland. Something is deeply wrong when one man can (well, two one you consider who assigned him) come in and change the whole culture of a parish in a few months time. 

WI State Journal Editorial Cartoon, 6-23-22

In the 1990's when Churches were expanding, the buzzword at the diocese was increase capacity, today, it is consolidation. The "Into the Deep" process is not simply managing decline, but I predict it will accelerate decline. Hying is creating a situation not tenable to developing and creating relationships with the faithful. If a relationship between priest and laity fails to develop, the parish will fail. And, when historic family ancestral churches are closed, more relationships will be destroyed. Hying is famous for excluding, and I am sure he expects collateral damage to some parishes. If CTK is an example, instead of going to another Catholic parish, many will just leave. Dugan says the same thing.

Bishop Hying has chosen self-styled orthodox priests and clericalism over the larger faith community. By blaming the wider culture he can shove off any responsibility for his own role. The real losers will be the faithful of the diocese who have stuck with the Church from one crisis to the next. Hying is playing poker with the faithful. He apparently believes strong connections for a former parish community and its larger community in which it was embedded no longer matter. You do not have a parish priest, but a pastorate priest, a game manager, a circuit rider. Perhaps that gets to what he really desires, a smaller more doctrinaire church he can rule as a medieval lord. He is leading the diocese into the abyss.

“Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7).

Sources:

https://intothedeepmadison.org/

Papal preacher sermon of March 3, 2023: https://www.cantalamessa.org/?p=4059&lang=en

Dugan: https://www.canonlaw101.com/blog/m4ih7ox4m4nwz9qg8yl73p7rlsydel

https://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/pope-warns-poorly-trained-priests-can-become-little-monsters)

https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/post-clerical-catholics 

Note 1: After the Amazon Synod in Oct 2019, the US Bishops had their ad limina visits with Pope Francis. Several news reports indicated that they were concerned with two suggestions made by the synod: female deacons and allowing older married males to be priests. The US Bishops kept pressing the Pope to assure neither of these happened. Clearly, this shows a Church more concerned about the single all-male clergy over all else. They did not inquire about how the faithful in the Amazon could get the sacraments, only how not it should be addressed. I would say such opinions border on classism if not racism. It is easy for the US to make up the priest shortage by buying priests from overseas.

Fields

Of my eight lines of great grandparents, three lines originated in Bohemia. Those great grandparents and their ancestors, were peasants and serfs under the control of a specific domain or estate. During the second half of the 18th century, the Austro-Hungarian Crown became concerned over the treatment of the serfs and the unfair nature of the the land tax system in some of its provinces. The ruling estates often undercounted area, or outright did not declare parcels of their ownership (referred to as dominical land), meaning it was excluded from taxation. This type of deceit shifted more of the tax burden to the rustical land, or land holdings managed by peasants, like my ancestors. Joseph II, the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire issued a patent in 1785 to make the tax system more equitable. That move provides us with information on the agricultural practices of my fourth great grandfather, Mathias Havel. This post will look at the fields Mathias owned, what he grew on those fields over a three year time span, and the corresponding yields. Essentially, it is a story of his fields in late 1780's.

Mathis Havel, 1788 Yield Table
Source: Trebon Archives

To better obtain an accounting of the property, all fields were surveyed, "ownership" or control noted, and estimated yields were first provided followed by an actual three year accounting of yields to be used for taxation. In this way, they got to actual yields as they recognized the variability of soils. Soil quality, in other words, would be taken into account.  As we all know, production could vary greatly depending upon weather, and the three years may help mitigate weather, but not fully. Our ancestors farmed using both crop rotation, and having a field generally lie fallow every third year. Hence, the production noted in the assessment in the record tells us what was grown, but not the year the crop was grown or the field was fallow. 

The property was surveyed by the village headsman and assistants, or by engineers depending upon the difficulty of the parcel. All of Mathias' parcels were measured by the headsman of Micovice and his assistants. Fields, in general were long and narrow, going back to many decades, or centuries earlier when it was thought the most equitable way to divide land was in long narrow parcels. Area of each parcel was recorded in Joch and Square Klafter. Mathias' ten arable parcels contained an equivalent of about 20.16 acres. In addition to the arable parcels he had control of five meadow (for hay) parcels, a house garden parcel (assessed as a meadow), and one woodlot parcel. The grain yield off each parcel was recorded in the presence of the local officials to limit a dishonesty, or taking a shortcut. Thus, we are fortunate to have a record of each of Mathias' parcels in area, estimated yield and actual yield over a three year span. We do not know what crop was grown in what year on what parcel. Of the four main grains, wheat, rye, barley and oats, for which yields were calculated, Mathias grew the last three over that three year period of time. Although, as we will see, his concentration was on rye and oats. 

Havel House #15, time of Stable Cadastre, ~1836
Source: https://ags.cuzk.cz/archiv/

Over the three year time frame, rye and oats were grown on each of his ten fields, with barley in two fields. Therefore, it appears that over the three years, eight of the ten fields were fallow for one year. Calculating from the Metzen volume used in the record to the American bushel, Mathias grew the following total bushels of grain over the three years, which essentially is a total of one year of crop yield on this ten fields for rye and oats and two fields for barley: Rye--200.29 bushels; Barley--23.24 bushels; and Oats--215.97 bushels. Hence, over the three years he grew a total of 439.5 bushels of grain. We see that oats produced a higher return than did rye. Mathias' yield in bushels per acre comes out to 10.13 for rye, 2.99 for barley and 10.71 for oats.

Melhutka, German name for Ratiborova Lhota
19th Century base map, provides an idea of
the topography by the village
Source: Mapycz

Mathias also had to seed his field, and the record provides that information. As an example, we see that field #649 had represented a sowing rate of 3.75 strich which is equal to about 9.86 bushels to sow 2.69 acres. His represented yield was 2.5 times that amount which would come to 24.65, and indeed I calculate it to be about 24.7, within the rounding of bushels. Yield varied by parcel with generally production being 2 to 3 times the sowing rate recorded. Sow rate for barley is not recorded.

Oats producing more bushels on an area basis than rye occurs today. In Wisconsin, the average for bushels per acre in 2022 for oats was 64.8, compared to 58.0 for rye.  Of course, this is in general for the whole state and yields vary. I found a grain yield for oats for Dane Co, but not rye, so I chose to use the whole state. This also shows us how much more grain is produced with modern seeds and fertilizers, all part of the agricultural-industrial complex in which we now see prime farmland turning into solar generating installations. This of course, leads to more fossil fuels to produce the fertilizers used on the less productive fields. 

Mika, Johann is Mathias' grandson who owned the
property at the time of the Stable Cadastre mapping.
This is a meadow parcel.
https://ags.cuzk.cz/archiv/

For Mathias, the sun was welcome to grow crops. The fields of southern Bohemia are known for their lack of prime soil. Of Mathias' ten fields, during the three years, oats production in bushels per acre varied from 9.65 to 12.01. For rye, the variation was from 8.35 to 11.07. 

Mathias' ten arable fields ranged in area from .34 to 6.43 acres. His median field size was 1.66 acres. With the fields being narrow and long, there were edges that probably reduced yield more than if the field was a nice square. This makes me wonder if neighboring farmers cooperated and grew the same grain in their adjoining field to avoid loss at an edge. His highest producing field recorded for oats was 1.59 acres in size, slightly smaller than the mean. His highest producing field for rye was 1.35 acres. I think this shows the variability of soils and perhaps even micro-climate. In the hills and valleys of this region south faced slope fields would likely be better than those with a north face. Weather is also variable--rainfall and temperatures. Like what we don't know what was grown on a field, we don't know what the local weather conditions were in Bohemia in the late 1780's.

Two farm fields and one meadow
under control of Johann Mika
https://ags.cuzk.cz/archiv/

There is a great deal of information in this document. For example we know that all field calculations were done by local farmers not engineers. This is interesting, as many documents from that time note the farmers and headsman as being illiterate. Someone would have had to keep track of measurements and do the math. Second, of the twenty field estimates for oats and rye, Mathias' yield exceeded the estimates in all but five cases. Two of the four cases were for both oats and rye on his largest field, of  at 6.43 acres. This is offset by a few misses. Oats missed his estimate by 30% and rye by even more in a couple of instances. Yet, many fields his estimates were within a few percentage points. He obviously had a history of what was grown on the fields. 

1995 Topograpahical Map around Ratiborova Lhota
https://ags.cuzk.cz/archiv/

Last year in May I provided a post on Mathias' requirements for fees, taxes and grain tithes to the domain as noted in the 1773 Urbarium, which you can read about here. Mathias was required to provide annually to the domain the following: 3.5 bushels of rye, about 2 bushels of barley and just over 5.5 bushels of oats. A good portion of his barley yield was for the domain, which required two bushels per year. I doubt the tithe to the estate varied over the years, as the same grain tithe require in the 1773 Urbarium is in the handover contract when his son Johann took over the farm in 1804. Please bear in mind that we do not know for sure what was grown on what field in what year of the three years of the records.

The specific dates for the yield declarations (Fassion), survey and initial assessments for each parcel is noted in the document, so I can tell, you, as an example, if you care for that much detail, the date of survey and the initial estimates provided. 19 Aug 1785, which was a Friday, was the first day of the survey. All of his parcels had the Fassion delaration, survey and assessment undertaken by Anton Semko, the Richter in Micovice; Adablert Bolech, a juror from #6 Micovice; and his own local community committeemen: Johann Kunesch, Tomas Wintzig and Georg Brom. All work was completed by 25 August, a Wednesday. They did not work on Sunday. It was a small community, with only about 15 homes in Ratiborova Lhota. More detailed mapping, by survey was completed in the 1800's, and took significant time. The survey was for two parts, one to get an exact measurement of all land for taxation, and to have the information pending full serf emancipation, which occurred in 1868.  As Empress Maria Theresia, mother of Josef II, said of the estates leaders: "Those gentlemen have known how to arrange things in such a manner that there was no way of seeing them clearly, and the subjects were always under the same oppression." (Wright, p. 34)

Signatory page of 1804 Agreement
three X's indicate the person was illiterate
and name written in.
Source: Trebon Archives, Krumlov Estate

The biggest takeaway for me is how exact they were with their measurements. Mathias was probably illiterate, as we know his sons Frantisek and Johanna and his widow Maria in an 1804 agreement did not sign their names, but used three X's. The document notes they were asked to provide their signature as three crosses, as they were illiterate. The larger question is how did Mathias keep track of everything? Mathias may have been illiterate, but he must have had a good mind to keep track of what was going on for each field. One reason why the survey work was led by the Micovice headman was perhaps he could read and write. That 1804 record also indicates that the Ratiborova Lhota village headsman at the time was also illiterate.

Translation of 1804 Handover contract from mother to 
Johann Havel noting those who were illiterate
Translation by Richard D'Amelio

Mathias had to tend his fields while still providing a significant amount of robot labor to the domain, as by 1778 he was required to provide 169 days of free labor to the estate, an amount his son was required to provide according to the handover contract. A future post will look at Mathias' meadow and woodland parcels. Grain was an important commodity at that time as it is today. What it interesting is that Mathias also had requirements for spun flax and linseed oil, but there is not a record of him growing flax over this three year period. He may have used flax grown on dominical lands. While this record may provide some questions, it does provide a deep dive into the farming practices and and his grain yields of this ten arable fields in a formal governmental record in 1788, or 245 years ago. 

Note: calculations from area and bulk units used in the original document to American units of bushels and acres was completed by the author. 

Sources:

https://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/345050/72/2651/814/78/0

https://digi.ceskearchivy.cz/345049/2/2651/835/37/0

(Both of the above transcribed and translated by Richard D' Amelio of Bohemib Research Services, engaged by the author.)

https://ags.cuzk.cz/archiv/

Wright, William E. 1966. Serf, Seigneur, and Sovereign: Agrarian Reform in Eighteenth Century Bohemia, University of Minnesota Press. 

The Rebel

This past Monday, February 20, 2023, the wife and I participated in another water color painting class. This time we painted roosters. Generally, the instructions had us using Antwerp Blue, Paynes Gray, Quinacridone Gold and Windsor Red. The first image was the completed rooster on the instruction sheet. Much of the rooster was to be blue in color, and the wife did not like the idea of painting a blue rooster, so my red-haired Rebel used more of a earth-tone color motif.

Final rooster on the instruction sheet

The red-haired rebels rooster is really quite nice, with well accomplished tail feathers, waddle, comb, not to mention the main body and the way the colors turned out using the salt technique. For part of the breast of the bird, you scatter some salt on a damp, but not too wet or too dry water color on the paper and it crystallizes giving a pattern to the water color. It is really quite interesting. 

The Rebel's rooster

My rooster, on the other hand, lacks refinement and detail. No matter how light I tried to paint, I could not get the feather technique correct. Look at my initials compared to my wife's, both done with the same sized small brush. However, I did receive a compliment of sorts from the instructor on my use of salt as she wondered if I have water colored much before. One look at my tail feathers would have given the answer. But, the salt technique on my rooster I think was enhanced by accident. When you desire to not have a hard edge to a water color, you wet the surface. I used the brush and water to wet the surface. Of course, part of it I wetted too much, so I took the edge of a paper towel and put it on the paper to let it soak up some of the water with the paint. I think this allowed channels to form and which gave part of that salt appearance, but seemingly with more a channel appearance. 

Author's rooster

My wife was the most rebellious person in the class doing a completely different color rooster than prescribed by the instructions. Although it looks more like roosters I have seen, because I don't know if I have ever seen a blue rooster. Water color painting can be forgiving with the right techniques and delicacy of hand. The more water, the less harsh the color and the more it spreads. Even though my wife was the rebel she was also the teacher's pet, getting many compliments on her use of color and her techniques. The instructor appreciated her rebelliousness. I would have done a different color, but, I lacked the confidence to approach on what colors to use. I even used the wrong blue for a while and that is why parts of my rooster has a hint of green.

My channel technique, above the legs

What I do know, is the more I do this, the more my appreciation for artists grows. For example, the red-haired Rebel knows what she is doing. Technique is one thing, and it certainly helps, but an eye for color is just as important, if not more important, in this method as technique. If the colors don't work, I don't think a painting can be saved by technique as it is the colors that first catches the eye. 

Showing more detail of the red-haired Rebel's rooster

A Village Burned

Historical events are often viewed through a present time lens. This makes some sense, as it is the time with which we are engaged. While much of history took place in time with differing values, or cultures, it can still be instructive. From about 1618 to 1648 Central Europe was involved in what we know as the Thirty Years War. I have many lines of ancestors from Bohemia, but research into one line shows the effect of this war on a village they would come to inhabit a century later. This is the story of the burned village of Hlavatce and how Viet Jodl, my 6th great grandfather, came to acquire a holding (to be known as house #8) in Hlavatce in 1720.  

Stable Cadastre Map of Hlavatce, ~1835

The Thirty Years War started when two newly assigned regents of the Austro-Hungarian Empire arrived in Prague and were promptly thrown out the upper floor windows of the Hradčany Castle by Bohemian protestants (this incident is known as the defenestration of Prague). This started what is known today as the Thirty Years War, a mainly religious war that took its name from its length. As with many wars, this resulted in depopulation and migrancy. The US is worried about balloons flying in the atmosphere, and here Hapsburg regents who were to be the Crown's representatives in  Bohemia were thrown out a castle window, or maybe each got their own window. It is reported that both regents survived the 96 foot fall without serious injury. Interestingly, many of the power lords of Bohemia at the time were protestant and it was under their control that the second serfdom commenced in the 16th century, and then continued through the Thirty Years War and until partial emancipation of the serfs in the late 18th century and the final emancipation with land reform in 1848. 

Present time distance Lazistka to Hlavatce

During the Thirty Years War, terror would strike varied settlements. Hlavatce was one settlement affected by the uprising, which is supported by two main pieces of evidence. First, is the 1654 Berni Rula which was an inventory by the governmental authorities for taxation purposes. (Unfortunately, the 1651 census of population known as the 1651 Soupis is lost for this district, which would have provided other evidence.)  We are fortunate that the 1654 Berni Rula survived. The Berni Rula had a column for designating when a holding was resettled, a clear indication that many villages or dwellings saw the same fate as Hlavatce. A review of the Berni Rula for Hlavatce provides a total of 20 landholdings, which would represent many parcels of land around the village. Of these 20 holders only four appear to have either survived the terror of the war or (perhaps more likely) had already resettled on the holdings prior to 1654, but after the destruction. Two more properties are accounted as having been resettled in 1654, leaving 14 total holdings which were still vacant. The title heading these 14 holdings essentially says they are desolate. Further explanation on the page indicates that the properties were burned. 

1654 Berni Rula Holdings in Hlavatce
Simon Soubar would become the Jodl holding
See Haas, 1954

The next, more descriptive evidence comes from the land registers for Hlavatce. Richard D'Amelio translated the Jodl line in two land registers for about 70 years starting in 1720 when Veit Jodl acquired the Hlavatce holding. Richard is diligent in is work, and as part of it he looked back in time from before Veit Jodl acquired what was known as the Šimon Šaubar  holding. The summary Richard provided notes the following: 

The Šimon Šaubar holding (1626-1711 land register for the court district of Hlavatce). This holding is identified as burned at the inception of the 1626 land register. The initial summary text states that the holding had remained abandoned for a period of 40 years to 1662. Furthermore, the register suggests almost every holding in Hlavatce had suffered a similar fate. The descriptive text of a holding sold in 1676, specifically states that it had remained abandoned for a period of 60 years, from the time of the „Vnglikhafften Böhmischen Rebelion [unglückhaften böhmischen Rebelion]“ (Folio 126), suggesting the holding had become so during the Bohemian Revolt of 1618.

From this we are informed that the village saw significant destruction of most, if not all, structures by vandalism induced conflagration in the early part of the Thirty Years War, or Bohemian Revolt. If not in 1618 itself, the destruction likely occurred by 1622. This is supported by the aforementioned tax inventory of the Berni Rula which noted that a vast majority of holdings were still desolate due to being burned. We don't know what side caused the destruction, we only know the village was destroyed.

Hlavatce House #8, Stable Cadastre Indication Sketch
~1826

Following the war, according to the D'Amelio summary, the Šaubar holding was first rebuilt in 1662 by Michael Kreüsinger, with permission of the then Hauptmann (director) of Libějovice dominion for the sum of 77sß 8g 4₰. This amount was was due the manorial authority, since the property had effectively reverted to its control. However, Kreüsinger would only farm the property for three years with the holding being sold in 1665. It must not have been easy to reclaim farm fields that had been fallow for forty years. Pioneer trees, think box elder and silver maple, could easily take hold and be rather good sized trees within only a 20 year time. The property would see seven additional owners over that 55 year time span until 17 Oct 1720 when forty year old Veit Jodl acquired the holding.

Vit and family in 1719 Seigniorial Register for Lazistka
Trebon Archives, Ord 51

Veit Jodl hailed from the village of Lažišťka, which is about 16 miles from Hlavatce, although both villages are in the Libějovice dominion. Veit Jodl acquired the property due to negligence of the prior manger who controlled the holding for only three years. The land register, in its handover to Veit Jodl, makes a point of the condition of the holding, lack of payment and the debts acquired by the previous holder: 

The previous holding owner, Martin Novotný, had managed the land negligently for a period of three years so that the property has become completely dilapidated. In addition, he has accumulated debts here and there, consequently paying little in the way of land tax, and nothing at all in the way of ground rent, for which reason the gracious manorial authority has ordered him to leave the holding....

This would be an expensive property to purchase. Veit's father still controlled the holding in Laziskta, and in the 1719 Seignorial Register Veit, his wife and four of their children are living with his parents and are part of the lodger class, that is he does not hold property. The land register is clear that Veit made no down payment for the property. Generally, it seems to me, the oldest son had more difficulty in obtaining a farm. Generally, in Bohemia, the youngest son took on the father's farm, and if his father is deceased at that point, he may at least have a "down payment" on the holding with his share of of the inheritance being deducted from the amount due to the heirs. I have not had the handover register for Veit's father translated which would give the inheritance that Veit would receive and maybe when he received such payments. 

Land Register Introduction to required Payment
Trebon Archives, Ord 17

In agreeing to purchase the rights to manage the holding, Veit Jodl took on a great deal of debt as the total price was 100sß 8g 4₰. The purchase included the stipulation that "he pay each and every debt which the previous holding owner had been liable, promptly and diligently, alongside an annual installment of 2sß against the carried purchase price".  At 2sß per year on a debt of 100sß 8g 4₰ meant that it would take over 50 years to pay off the encumbrance. By comparison when of Michael Kreüsinger purchased the property in 1662 the price paid was: 77sß 8g 4₰. The additional accrued amount was debts accumulated by the previous owner. Veit not only had to pay the amount due over time he also was agreeing to grant a life provision to the widow (it is unclear whose widow, but probably a prior owner) but such arrangement was "agreed in advance." The register gives a great level of detail on what makes up this over 100 schock grossen debt. The bulk of the payment owed is to the manorial authority, there is also payments to heirs of two prior owners (going as far back as the heirs of the owner from 1681 to 1692), and payment to the negligent owner Martin Novotný for the value he had paid. The manorial authority was gracious to waive the registration fee for Veit, so no payment was due in 1720. It must have been a difficult holding to farm and revitalize, as from 1721 to 1734 Veit only once made a payment over 2sß or more and that was in 1723 when paying 3sß 30g. The last payment to satisfy the debt was made in 1787. Therefore, it took 67 years for Veit, his son, Martin and his grandson, also named Veit, to pay this large debt. 

Detailed accounting of the breakdown of  the100sß 8g 4₰
Veit Jodl has to pay
Trebon Archives Land Register, Ord 17

When Veit Jodl decided to uproot his family he had to weigh the benefits of his owning a farm against the risks of incurring so much debt. Using the 1654 Berni Rula we can see that the Šimon Šaubar holding acquired by Veit Jodl was 30 strich, or about 21 acres. It was slightly larger than the Havel holding in Raiborova Lhota, but its poor condition required a great deal of work. Veit saw that this holding represented his best option for farming.

About one hundred years after the village burned Veit Jodl took advantage of the poor situation, and reconstructed a neglected farm. This began a long-term Jodl family relationship with the #8 Hlavatce holding. The Jodl family would farm the land for many generations as my second great grandmother Anna Jodl's brother Mathias would take on the holding in 1846, just two years before the full serf emancipation and the land reform. The Thirty Years War desolated the village of Hlavatce, and it took two generations for resettlement to occur and even then there was much trial and difficulties. History is complex, but this provides an interesting insight into the Jodl line of the Havel family.

Sources:  

D'Amelio, Richard. Summary of early land registers, Feb 2023.

1954, Haas, Antonin, Berni rula 27 Kraj Prachensko (1654 document)

Trebon Archives, Land Registers, Ordinal 17. Translated by Richard D'Amelio

Trebon Archives, Land Registers, Ordinal 29, Translated by Richard D'Amelio

Trebon Archives, Seigniorial Register, Ord 51. 

. 

Healing Concrete

With present time thinking many seem to think we are most advanced age, and that we have most all the answers. After all, in our world today there more experts in more fields than at anytime in human history. Yet, for all of the learning, certain items can still be wrong. It happens in the health field, it happens with food (remember trans fats?), and it even occurs with concrete. Concrete is a common construction material since it was first used by the Nabataen's in Syria and Jordan over 6500 years ago. (We best know the Nabataen's for having built Petra in the early fourth century.) As a construction material concrete rose to popularity with the Romans who were the first to use it on a large scale--the Pantheon, the port of Ostia, just two of their large projects. Roman use dates back to perhaps 600 BC. It turns out that all our present time engineering of concrete it is not as good as what the Romans developed over 2,000 years ago. What engineers and scientists thought was sloppy mixing of concrete was in fact something much different. Recent research indicates that the material that was thought to be of sloppy mixing, was actually part of the Roman process of having created self-healing concrete. 

Crack in Concrete Driveway

We have all been on concrete roads with cracks, particularly in northern climate zones with freezing weather. Water that makes its way into the concrete freezes and expands and then cracks the concrete. Perhaps 30 years ago WIDOT attempted to place clear stone, rather than gravel under concrete roads with a drainage system in an attempt to get the water to move out. Two examples of which I am aware of this use are Highway 51 near McFarland, WI, and Highway 151 north of Sun Prairie toward Columbus. I am not sure that met with success. I think the clear stone, rather than a gravel base allowed other soft spots and cracks to develop.

Cracks in one area lead to more cracks as water continues to intrude into the mass. Concrete has very good compressive strength but has poor tensile strength. Concrete is made of small "stones" or grains which means it will always have some microscopic cracks in its formation. Thus, when tensile forces are applied to concrete, these cracks become elongated and eventually the concrete breaks apart. Hence, the need for reinforcement to improve the tensile strength. The reinforcement is usually what we know as rebar, but for some situations like, sidewalks fiberglass strands are used. If concrete is not too thick it may not need much, if any, reinforcement. 

Interior of part of Pantheon Dome

Ironically, the study of Roman concrete by MIT, Harvard, and universities in Italy and Switzerland, was published in the journal Science Advances. In this case, science was advanced by looking at the advanced methods of Roman concrete, processing and construction methods over 2000 years old. For many decades it has been thought the strength and durability of Roman concrete was related to the use of "pozzolanic material such as volcanic ash from the area of Pozzuoli, on the Bay of Naples. This specific kind of ash was even shipped all across the vast Roman empire to be used in construction, and was described as a key ingredient for concrete in accounts by architects and historians at the time." (MIT News)

Part of the Exterior of the Pantheon

However, it turns out the durability of Roman concrete comes from something called lime clasts, which present day genius' thought was the result of sloppy mixing practices, or poor quality material. Also crucial was the material used and the processing--hot mixing of the concrete. The Roman process also sets and cures much more quickly than our current concrete. It turns out those Roman engineers knew quite a bit more about concrete than our present day engineers. But, it gets much better, and let me quote MIT news so I don't get the substance wrong:

During the hot mixing process, the lime clasts develop a characteristically brittle nanoparticulate architecture, creating an easily fractured and reactive calcium source, which, as the team proposed, could provide a critical self-healing functionality. As soon as tiny cracks start to form within the concrete, they can preferentially travel through the high-surface-area lime clasts. This material can then react with water, creating a calcium-saturated solution, which can recrystallize as calcium carbonate and quickly fill the crack, or react with pozzolanic materials to further strengthen the composite material. These reactions take place spontaneously and therefore automatically heal the cracks before they spread. Previous support for this hypothesis was found through the examination of other Roman concrete samples that exhibited calcite-filled cracks.

Hence, the ingenious Romans developed a self-healing concrete and being over 2,000 years old makes modern day concrete look cracked up (pun intended). The Roman leaders liked their public work projects, regardless of debt, to keep the masses happy. Public works projects to please the masses became more and more prevalent during the dictatorship era, from Julius Caesar becoming the anointed Emperor, on to the end of the empire when it was  overthrown by the Visogoths, a Germanic tribe of barbarians. Some of the Roman Emperors may have taken depravity to new heights, but their engineers knew what they were doing. 

The end of the Roman Empire led to a decrease in learning and opportunities. The barbarian invaders apparently did not much care for concrete or the unique methods the Romans used to make this durable material, and it has now taken 1547 years for why Roman concrete was so good to be made known. I wonder if the road building lobby will adjust to this process? There is already much debate about asphalt or concrete and the state tries to please both powerful lobbies. It could give concrete an advantage, but it may mean they are not rebuilding roads as often. The healing concrete is an amazing invention, and a very good reason why modern people should not think they do every thing better and know more than those in the long past.

Reference:

https://news.mit.edu/2023/roman-concrete-durability-lime-casts-0106

Photos by Author

Alexa the Quilter

The Amazon Alexa device is interesting in what information it can provide. My wife was telling the story about a former co-worker who volunteers in the school with young children. Her former co-worker was working on "Th" sounds, and she was wanting the kids to say thermometer, so she said something like your parents would look at this to get the outdoor temperature? They looked at her with rather befuddled faces and she said, what do your parents do when they want to know the temperature? The children responded, "they ask Alexa." Alexa is great telling one the weather, and the outdoor thermometer is going the way of the can opener. But, is Alexa is a quilter?

Amazon Echo Dot

The wife quilts, and sews. Right now she is making quilt that she donates to an organization that works with pregnant women in non-ideal situations. This past Friday night I asked Alexa how much snow are we going to get. She responded 2.16 inches. I have asked before for both rain and snow and marvel at how she gets it to a hundredth of an inch. She could have said 2 inches, or 2.2, but no, she has to go to the hundredth of an inch. Her prediction probably was true as of 5 pm Saturday, but Saturday, from 5 pm to early Sunday AM, we had a good 6 + more inches of snow. I don't even know how you would measure snow to that level of accuracy. I was commenting on her precise amount, and my wife said "she must be a quilter." 

My wife can judge measurements very well, particularly in the smaller dimensions. It comes from her years of sewing and quilting. She may not be as precise as Alexa, to the hundredth of an inch, but she is very close on her estimates. I have even measured times when she gives has given me a measurement, say 2" and I measure and she is right on. Years of sewing and quilting have given her an eye for measurements. 

A Quilt

Alexa has a habit to get chatty, particularly after I ask the question of the day. Alexa always seems to be wanting me to get into some trivia club or group, or try Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader" challenge. The next morning, after my wife's comment Alexa was in one of her chatty moods, and I asked her to stop or end and she continued. My wife made a comment about her being so chatty, and I responded to my wife that, "Well, she is a quilter." I think that is the first time I can recall when my wife did not have comeback, I left her speechless. 

Alexa is great for providing current weather or forecasts for a specific area, although I tend to think her wind level is off. I am still trying to understand how she describes wind speed, breezy one day light breeze even though a higher windspeed the next day. I then came to realize understanding Alexa is like trying to understand what a woman wants.