“Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean your children’s personalities change,” said Morgan Kavanaugh. “It’s not going to be all sunshine and roses.” The 41-year-old West St. Paul lawyer recently returned from a two-week road trip with his wife, Nicole, and their five kids, ages 14 to 3. His life is shaped by service — to his family, his parish (St. Joseph in West St. Paul) and his city.
Q) Let’s hear about the road trip.
A) We covered 2,200 miles in our eight-passenger Toyota Sienna. The first stretches we say no screens. We have the Yoto players with their books and cards and put on headphones and listen to those. Every stop we’d have to do a reset of the van: “Hand me all your garbage.” The whole time I’m wondering, “Who’s going to barf?” But we made a lot of good memories.
Q) What was the highlight?
A) The Sand Dunes in Gary, Indiana—it was probably everyone’s favorite thing that we just added on at the last minute. It was some of the finest sand I’ve been on, and the water was clear, and you could see the Chicago skyline. Nobody wanted to leave.
Q) Tell me about your conversion.
A) I went through RCIA (now OCIA) at St. Joseph’s and converted in 2011, right after our oldest was born. I grew up evangelical, which has served me in a lot of ways. But I always wanted to know more — where everything came from and where it started and how it evolved into what it is.
You learn about the tradition of the Church — all of that made sense to me and felt right and felt good.
Nicole is a cradle Catholic. She was an example of how to have testimony that’s not in your face. Evangelization by just living out your faith and saying: “This is important to me. You can join me or not.”
Q) You’re a member of Red Lake Nation. How does your Native heritage intersect with your Catholic faith?
A) Red Lake is predominantly Catholic. Going back to the mid-1800s, they started incorporating Catholicism on the reservation. There were priests and sisters there. That continues to this day. They’ve incorporated tribal traditions into Catholicism. I find that interesting. That is the universal nature of being Catholic — how Catholicism is this united Church, but then you can see different expressions in different cultures.
Q) You ran for mayor (of West St. Paul) at age 32. What did you learn from that experience?
A) I just wanted to get involved in my town. I had only lived there for four years at the time. I ran a positive campaign. I was running against an incumbent mayor and a city council member who were both lifelong residents — I wasn’t necessarily going for the win.
Every person I interacted with when I was out knocking on doors or talking about my campaign was great. But there were all these nasty things sent to me behind a screen and keyboard. I learned to set that online stuff online and focus on the real world.
My filing triggered a primary, which I love: I love more democracy and more choice. I think uncontested elections are a symptom of a sick political system. That’s what makes our system great — the more arguments that can be heard, the better the marketplace of ideas.
Q) What were the results?
A) I got 12 percent of the vote. Neither of my opponents cleared 50 percent. That’s what I was shooting for. My colleagues on the planning commission heard what I had to say and were like: “Hey, you ran a positive campaign and did a good job, so we’re gonna vote for you to be chair.” It was definitely worthwhile.
Q) Would you run again?
A) I would run again for something if I felt strongly. I’d need to get Nicole to be a firm believer. If I ran for something again, I would do it to win.
Q) You spent nearly a decade on the West St. Paul Planning Commission.
A) It was so much fun! I thought my background in law and real estate could benefit the planning commission. I loved the little projects and little opportunities to make my town better.
We had one project that stuck out to me: a developer was pitching a redevelopment on a corner lot, and there weren’t sidewalks connecting from Robert Street to the adjacent parcels. We took a hard line and I led the charge: you need to put a sidewalk in here.
I see people being able to get off the bus and walk to Culver’s safely and I think: Yes!
Q) That sounds like an expression of the Catholic belief in the dignity of every person.
A) Yes. It was one of those things that drove me crazy — driving through town, it was winter, slush, and you see people struggling.
Q) You were paying attention! That’s a virtue. It also helps you find the right rhythm for your family — and say no when you need to.
A) From a time perspective, it’s letting go of the fillers I had before I had children. I’m not going to go out with friends on a boat from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. and then be completely useless the next day. You just have to set that aside. It’s a mindset shift.
It’s not sustainable to constantly say yes. Travel sports just isn’t an option. There’s no way for us to make it work with our schedule.
Q) You’ve stayed in the same house as your family grew.
A) We added a fourth bedroom and later did a basement remodel to add a fifth bedroom, an office and a play area. We’ve made it work. We try to use the space thoughtfully and be intentional about what we buy and where we put it. I feel like it’s the size of house I want. I don’t want to deal with a bigger house. This is plenty of house to clean, to keep up. I don’t have any interest in changing or moving.
Q There’s character building when a big family shares a smaller space.
A) You have to deal with it; you have to wait your turn — there are other people here. You don’t get everything exactly when you want it. We always say: There are too many people here for you to treat the living room as your laundry room or garbage can.
Q You run every day during your lunch break.
A) I do not like running. Every day is a mental gymnastics that I have to do in order to get over that hurdle and go do it. Because every time I finish doing it, I feel great. My mind is clear.
Q Fresh air does wonders, doesn’t it?
A) When the kids have been outside all day, everybody’s in a better mood, they go to bed better.
Q What sparked your interest in quantum physics and astronomy?
A) Trying to understand the world around us. I love how being Catholic allows you to be pro-science. They’re not in competition with each other.
Q Faith and reason. What do you know for sure?
A) I try to accept: Life is hard. We don’t need to sit around finding ways to make it more difficult. So, if we have the time and energy to manufacture hardships, I think we should be using that time to help others who are actually in need.
I’ve found joy and happiness in my work, my family and my faith. Even the hard that comes with that — those moments of joy have never been found anywhere else.
