Lobbying, gardening and bearing good fruit

Maggee Hangge

Taking the time to plant good seeds –– as a mother, as a gardener and as a lobbyist for the Minnesota Catholic bishops –– comes naturally to Maggee Hangge, 28, a New Prague native who draws inspiration from her Catholic faith and her small-town roots. She and her husband, Jim, are parents to 7-month-old Veronica.

Hangge works as the policy and public relations associate for the Minnesota Catholic Conference in St. Paul, advocating for pro-life causes at the Capitol and identifying common ground. “Just because someone voted one way, doesn’t mean they’re set in their thinking,” said Hangge, a member of St. Wenceslaus in New Prague. “There’s a wrestling, and we’re working with the legislators through the wrestling.”

Q) It sounds like you live on the set of a Hallmark movie –– a small town, a two-acre lot bordering cornfields, your parents and siblings all just five to 10 minutes away.

A) It’s so rare! We were just a close-knit family. My parents are both from New Prague. Growing up, both sets of grandparents lived here, out in the country. My parents both owned businesses in town, so we were really involved in the town as kids, too, and my dad was the fire chief. We’re just drawn to the space.

Q) Tell me about your garden.

A) It’s about 15 by 25 feet, and I’d like to double it next year. We grow mostly veggies –– anything we want to eat for the year: carrots, beans, herbs, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes, little baby red potatoes. We did pumpkins this year so we’d have some for Veronica.

Q) Is gardening a spiritual exercise?

A) It’s really peaceful. I try not to have anything on (to listen to) when I’m out there. I don’t listen to the radio or podcasts. I just listen to what’s around me. It relaxes me to work in the soil, pulling weeds. If I’m upset, and then I’m out there, my attitude shifts: “OK, it really wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought it was.” It gives me that space to think about all the things going on in my life and to not be consuming some kind of media.

It’s also practical because we want to eat healthy and know what we’re eating. And it keeps our grocery bill down! We can spaghetti and pizza sauce, salsa, carrots, beans and bruschetta mix. We freeze our zucchini, veggies, strawberries for smoothies and zoodles (zucchini noodles). It feels rewarding to be eating the food that we grew ourselves and to know that we’re using our land to nourish our bodies.

Q) That ties into your faith.

A) If it weren’t for our faith, I don’t think we would be doing this. There wouldn’t be a reason not to just fall into the consumer society where you can go to the store and get anything. Instead, I look in the freezer or fridge and say: “OK, God provided us with a really big bean crop this year. What are we going to do with them?” Then we get creative.

Q) What else do you do to be a homemaker?

A) It’s nice on a fall day to be baking bread or zucchini bread or cookies. Growing up, my mom always celebrated the holidays really well and decorated. Jim and I aren’t really good at living liturgically, but we want to be better. We’re still working that out.

Q) You’ve been with the Minnesota Catholic Conference for four years now.

A) I got to ease my way into the policy realm after starting as Jason Adkins’ assistant (Adkins is MCC’s executive director and general counsel). He’s been a great boss and mentor as I’ve grown into this role. I don’t have a political science degree. I’ve really enjoyed learning about the political arena and what impacts our Church.

Q) And you tap into your Catholic Studies degree from the University of St. Thomas.

A) It really pushed me, as … (John) Boyle would say, to learn how to think. That was my introduction on how to think about cultural issues from a Catholic lens, and not just the lens that was in front of me from any given class or media.

Q) So many gifts in your life have flowed from your Catholic connections. You met your husband through St. Paul’s Outreach. You got your job through Catholic Studies.

A) I always try to seek God’s direction in making sure I’m following his will and not just what I want to do. I try to have the discipline to be able to go where he’s leading me. And he’s opened all these doors.

Q) How do you approach your job?

A) We’re always working to find solutions to propose, not impose. I can always look to Church teachings to back up what I’m saying, but I’m always trying to bring positive solutions. It’s fun to think about what those are and have those strategic conversations. I’m curious, but I’m also determined –– that probably trumps my curiosity. If I’m posed a question, I’m going to find an answer. I got a really simple question this morning in my inbox, and I could’ve given a really simple answer, and instead a half hour went by when I gave them all they needed and more. I was determined to give them the exact answer. That drives me.