In 2010, Michelle Benson did not like what she saw on the healthcare landscape in Minnesota. So, drawing on both her rural and Catholic roots, she decided to do something about it.
“I got up off the couch, ran for office (and) won,” said Benson, 56, who served for more than two decades as a Minnesota state senator (2011-2023), with much of it in District 31, which includes portions of Anoka, Isanti and Sherburne Counties in the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities.
She talked about her years in political office with the “Practicing Catholic” on the program that will air at 9 p.m. Nov. 22 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. For Benson, it traces back to her rural roots in the Diocese of New Ulm at Sacred Heart parish in Swift County, where “we were always at church.”
She recalled many days arriving at church for piano lessons at 7:30 a.m. and praying a decade of the rosary with her siblings while doing dishes after dinner. Those practices and values stayed with her in college, where she earned a chemistry degree at St. Catherine University in St. Paul and a master’s in accounting from the University of St. Thomas, also in St. Paul.
She was always pro-life, but her stance got even stronger in college when she faced opposition from students who did not share her opposition to abortion. She learned how to speak about the topic publicly and also learned compassion for women in unplanned pregnancies as a volunteer for Birthright. She remembers talking to women who were afraid and uncertain.
“In that moment, women need to feel supported and loved,” she said. “All of us have to pause and say, ‘Am I fostering a culture of life by the words I say and the way I behave?’”
She took her passion for life to the Minnesota Senate, where she fought consistently against measures that fostered and promoted abortion. Even through political defeats, she remained rooted in her faith, especially the sacrament of confession, in which she finds value in being able to admit wrongdoing.
To hear more of her story, tune into the “Practicing Catholic.”
The program also includes a discussion with Brett Powell on his men’s ministry, Life Compass, and how it is helping men transition from lives of passivity to leadership roles. Also, Zach Jansen, the digital content producer for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, describes the Christian values of the Thanksgiving comedy “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program can also be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
