Carlos Caso-Rosendi
I should be writing something about Christmas but every time I try I feel I am visiting all the old common themes. It is hard to be original after twenty centuries of Christmas, at least that is my excuse this year of the Lord of 2013. This morning however I found a theme that my readers in the English-speaking world are not likely to be familiar with. I have known these heroes for a few years now, since 2006 or so. They were so kind to invite me to their number and I am working to build them a half-decent website here. The material there is presented entirely in Spanish.
I want you to know them because they are Catholic heroes of our time. This tiny group of brave fellows call themselves the Centro Cultural Católico Fe y Razón. They gallantly defend Catholic ideas and ideals in an increasingly socialistic South American country. In their native Uruguay they are part of a cluster of tiny Christian and Pro-life associations fighting giants with toothpicks. I was born on the other side of the river and that traditionally should count me as a rival but catholicity prevailed over such nonsense and I was invited to join the group a few years ago. What an honor was for me to be associated with such a gallant and valiant effort to defend the faith.
The men and women of Fe y Razón have no material resources, no millionaire sugar daddy to finance their efforts, no EWTN advertising to raise awareness of their place in the global battle to bring Christ to the people. That does not stop them from writing true classics that certainly deserve a wider public. The group was founded by Daniel Iglesias Grèzes, an engineer by trade; Néstor Martínez Valls, a philosophy professor at the local Catholic University; and Deacon Jorge Novoa who also has doubled as a radio host of several Catholic radio programs. Armed with very limited means and almost no technical knowledge they dared to present Uruguay with a Catholic e-magazine made by Uruguayan Catholics. Here you can see their first issue. Do not let the simplicity of the layout fool you because the content is seriously Catholic presenting well reasoned articles in philosophy, theology, apologetics, Church news analysis, and much more. That tiny website is like David the shepherd boy facing Goliath, the media promoting the culture of death in a continent where there are almost no venues to inform the public of the Catholic point of view.
The original group has grown, they count on a loyal readership of thousands, and it is now legally organized. They were able to publish several books on a variety of topics, they have also organized seminars and conferences defending the faith, some of their authors present their writing in other countries like Spain, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina.
Recently in the United States we hear the controversy generated by the high salaries paid to the executives of a large Catholic Internet ministry. I heard that someone was making a quarter million dollars a year, another well over one hundred thousand. Should any of you know affluent Catholic benefactors who can help sustain the valiant efforts of these 21st century true evangelists at Fe y Razón, please direct them to their page here and ask them to help. One percent of the sums I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph would be enough to keep this very deserving effort going for YEARS. Be assured that they really make a difference!
Recently The Economist named Uruguay country of the year mainly in recognition of the wave of progressive laws and policies unleashed against the population of that tiny, underpopulated country in South America: free abortion, homosexual marriage, anti-family laws of all kinds, and soon euthanasia. Fe y Razón has been one of the few voices raised against that brutal onslaught. If you have access to American Catholic media and can drop their URL or refer them from your blog to Spanish-speaking Catholics, please help me raise awareness of their effort. Their orthodox and obedient service to the Magisterium of the Church is without question and guarded by very well respected scholars and priests. They are the New Evangelization in motion, the real Missio ad Gentes that John Paul II talked about. Help them, if you have a few bucks, drop by their Pay Pal page and send them a Christmas gift. A dollar goes a long way in Uruguay. You’ll be glad you did and God will bless you for helping true Catholic culture warriors.
Thank you and have the merriest, holiest, most blessed Christmas ever.
Published 21 December 2013.
Carlos Caso-Rosendi 