American Pope, American Lady: The story behind Our Lady of the Prairie

American Pope, American Lady: The story behind Our Lady of the Prairie

The land of the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota consists of what some might pejoratively call “flyover country.” It has no major cities, no towering mountains or ocean shorelines or many popular tourist attractions. Mostly, it is 9,000-plus square miles of Midwestern prairie and farmland.But flyover country though it may be, when Bishop Chad Zielinski was first installed to lead New Ulm in 2022, he drove all four corners of his new diocese and was…