Catholic Entrepreneurship… Taking A Stand For Faith, Life, And Family
By REY FLORES
Each day, as we move forward with our daily lives, many of us start our day with daily Mass, a prayer, or even a rosary. We ask God to give us the wisdom and fortitude to deal with our day as best as we can, we hope by giving greater glory to our Lord through all of our words and actions. A morning offering is always a great way to remind ourselves that we are all called to do His will, not our own.
Today is no time to be tepid or lukewarm about our faith. There are many attacks against Catholics across the world. Whether it’s actual crucifixions, torture, and beheadings or the burning down of our churches in places like Africa and Syria, or sacrilege at Harvard where satanic black masses are no longer out of the question, we are called to do battle.
Taking a stand for our Lord and our Catholic Church is something we must do — there’s no going around it. We must take courage and never relent on the truth no matter what the world says or how it attempts to dissuade us from that truth.
In my work and travels, I meet many faithful Catholics who are devout in every way possible, but when I met Missy D’Aconti, I saw someone going that extra mile — in style.
Missy is a wife and mother who attends the Traditional Latin Mass at St. Joseph’s Parish in Richmond, Va., with her family. She shared her story with me about how she wanted people to visually show their Catholicism more openly; but how?
“I’ve always noticed that at the March for Life, which is held in the middle of January when it’s freezing outside, there are no scarves, hats, sweatshirts, etc., that say ‘pro-life’ on them and that look tasteful with something like a fashion designer’s crest.”
Having had to do an interview for EWTN in 10-degree Fahrenheit weather this past January, I can attest to the frigid temperatures in Washington, D.C.
Missy mentions a fashion designer’s crests and logos, which we discussed at length. These crests and logos are usually free advertisements for companies like Kenneth Cole, Starbuck’s, or even Nike, which — like many others — support the homosexual agenda.
There are also well-known global companies that support eugenics-based population control programs. Still others may also run inhumane sweatshops that any self-respecting Catholic should never support.
“When I started to design our crest logo, I realized that we need to openly defend God’s creation and design, no pun intended, of our faith, traditional marriage, and life,” Missy said. “Every day we get dressed and make a conscious decision of what to wear. Our crest has the symbols of a cross, a traditional family, and baby feet to represent life. These are all symbols of what we as Catholics stand up for.”
Wouldn’t it be powerful if Catholics and other Christians worldwide wore faith-based clothing that might spark a conversation that would either help to save someone’s soul through conversion, save a life by prevention of an abortion/euthanasia, or even possibly change someone’s view on “same-sex marriage”?
Missy’s Faith, Life, Family Wear business reminds me of a similar effort made by four young men who started the FUBU Company in New York City back in 1992. FUBU is an acronym for “For Us, By Us,” which meant for black people, by black people.
The young black men who started the company wanted to build support for their own community through their own entrepreneurial efforts, encouraging black youth to wear and support something made in their own community by their own family, friends, and neighbors.
The company goes by a different name now and does not have the same grass-roots model it once did, but it sent out a message that communities should support themselves and each other instead of supporting large global companies that often have no real ties to the people buying and advertising their products.
Giving Back
I think these young men had a great idea and I believe Missy D’Aconti has a great idea, and as Catholics, we should support her and other Catholic businesses like Lifeboat Coffee that are standing up for truth and giving back to organizations that fight for that truth.
Missy also tells us: “We can essentially wear our heart and beliefs on our sleeve, allowing God to use us as His instrument through this silent statement tool. It is in these trying times that we need to stand apart from others who choose to be ‘politically correct.’ We need to be courageous and defend God’s truth and laws. As the Church Militant, we must be willing to endure white or even red martyrdom, if necessary. By buying and wearing our products, it shows in a small way where you stand.”
As I mentioned above, Missy has committed to donate a portion of the net proceeds from every purchase to an organization or parish of your choice, dedicated to supporting faith, life, traditional marriage and family, organizations like American Life League and The Wanderer newspaper, if you like.
“Stop complaining about the situations in the world today and do something positive and constructive — purchase some of our items and set the world on fire with the flame/love of the Holy Ghost — He’ll take care of the rest.”
Please visit Faith, Life, Family Wear at www.FaithLifeFamilyWear.com today.
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(Rey Flores is a Catholic writer and speaker. Contact Rey at: reyfloresusa@gmail.com.)
