It was a warm and beautiful Sunday afternoon in Hermann park when the standards were raised.
The red standards were emboldened with the Lion of Judah and the battle cry Tradition, Family, and Property. The TFP and their supporters had arrived. 40 men stood around a traffic circle rosary in hand, armed with signs, bagpipes, and flyers. The mission of the day was to defend the dignity of traditional marriage. Many cars drove by with honks of support at the sight of the “God’s Marriage = 1 Man + 1 Woman” banner others however, yelled profanities and gave the middle finger as they drove by, through this was the minority of people. Most supported and applauded the stand taken at defending marriage.
Although it was a surprise to see that many people jeering us had rosaries dangling from their review mirror. This contradiction in identity is exactly why the TFP exists, to oppose the secularization of our culture. The TFP (Tradition, Family, Property) is an international Lay Catholic organization started by traditional Catholic intellectual and activist Dr. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in 1960 in Brazil. Since then, the organization has spread to 20 other countries. The TFP’s mission is to spread true Catholic culture and to change public opinion. The TFP does this by campaigning in public on a litany of different issues such as in support of marriage, defense of the unborn, and opposing blasphemous events such as the Black Mass that got cancelled at Harvard in 2014.
The TFP also hosts conferences for young men and students where they focus on teaching the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and about Catholic culture and history. These conferences also foster Catholic community and brotherhood amongst the young men in attendance through lively conversation, food, and campaigns. The Sunday April 11th Houston campaign was the product of one of these conferences. About 25 students participated in the Texas conference from around the state and other parts of the country. After morning Latin Mass on Sunday, the participants along with TFP volunteers and supporters headed for Houston to campaign for traditional marriage.
Many people question the effectiveness or charity of these campaigns.
They are however both effective and charitable. The campaigns serve many purposes but two of the most important are to give reparations and to instill moral courage amongst fellow Catholics. Society has become extremely secularized and as a result laws and the culture have become morally bankrupt in many aspects. Group rosaries during the campaign serve as a public act of reparation, Our Lady looks upon these acts with much favor. Additionally, standing in public and taking a stand for morality helps inspire other Catholics to do the same. Many faithful Catholics feel alone and discouraged to stand up for the faith among family, friends, and co-workers out of fear of repercussions such as ostracization or loss of work.
However, campaigning serves as an opportunity to inspire Catholics to be bold and take a stand for what we know is true.
Even if there are consequences action needs to be taken stop the slow march of the Revolution in our society. Image a world where Catholics didn’t publicly defend the faith. How far gone would this world be?
While it may seem from a surface level perspective that the campaign in Houston did nothing more than affirm some people’s beliefs or make a few others upset. The fact of the matter is while we may never know exactly who or how but some will go on to defend Christendom after witnessing the campaign. Who knows what graces will come from their actions?
-Brendan Cassell
