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How to Cultivate the Virtue of Patriotism, by Dr. Matt Mehan – Brown Pelican Society of Lousiana

How to Cultivate the Virtue of Patriotism, by Dr. Matt Mehan

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American flag, sunrise, sunset. Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

By Dr. Matt Mehan, Catholic Exchange, May 22, 2026

Dr. Matthew Mehan is the Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Government for the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C., right on Capitol Hill. …

Author’s Note: To cultivate the virtue of patriotism in your families, immerse them in stories of America’s lands, people, and founding principles. One such compilation, The American Book of Fables, reimagines Aesop for the New World with buffalo and eagles, classic verse, and stunning oil and watercolor illustrations that bring the American landscape to life. Available from Sophia Institute Press and Amazon, or wherever you buy books, this heirloom volume is sure to equip the next generation with the wit, gratitude, and frontier spirit they’ll need to carry forward the republic we’ve been called to love. Watch the video trailer for the book.

 

Matt MehanPatriotism can be a difficult virtue to practice, but the first step is to realize that it is a virtue and an important one at that. Without getting too technical, we can describe patriotism as the love of one’s civic fathers and mothers. It is a reverential love borne of gratitude for the many goods received from the hands of those fathers and mothers: goods such as order, law, peace, unity, concord, beautiful artwork, a witty-wise language like our own English tongue; goods such as national parks, clean drinking water, good roads, the Brooklyn Bridge; and inventions like penicillin, the piano, or flight.

With America’s 250th birthday or Semiquincentennial coming this July 4th and with Memorial Day coming up in this special year in our country’s history, we might do well to think more deeply about overcoming the obstacles to a deeper patriotism this summer and beyond. …

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