AT A TIME when so many are struggling to make ends meet, I’m almost embarrassed to ask for help. I have always agreed with the philosophy of my late father, Walter L. Matt (founder of The Remnant), that if we can make a useful product for which our subscribers are willing to pay a small fee, we should be able to make a go of it. That’s been happening here at The Remnant for nearly 60 years. And, honestly, our modest success is one of the reasons I’m asking for your help this Christmas.
Far from sinking beneath the tsunami wave that is the Internet, The Remnant’s print edition has become surprisingly buoyant, thanks to you, with the little Remnant somehow managing to surf that tsunami rather than be crushed by it as have so many others. Trouble is, as one of the few physical newspapers to have survived, two things have happened simultaneously: We acquired many new and excellent writers from all over the world (Singapore, Australia, Romania, England, the U.S., etc.) as the cost of keeping newsprint coming off the press every two weeks became astronomical.
So, here’s what I propose, and I hope you’ll agree this is benefits Remnant readers, writers, and underwriters alike. I will keep the cost of a Remnant subscription where it is, in order to make it as affordable as possible to as many people as possible, but then I want to launch The Remnant Writers Fund, whereby those who can afford it can choose to pitch in so that I can continue to offer that excellent product to which my father was referring.
To be clear, not all Remnant writers are asking for compensation. Some are in a position whereby they can afford to donate their excellent commentary for the glory of God and to keep The Remnant afloat. Others are not in that position and although they too are generous in what they charge, they do require payment to feed their children.
In any event, as we grow and expand, The Remnant is having difficulty making payroll to compensate all the excellent writers who contribute to the Remnant newspaper as well as RemnantNewspaer.com. Between that and the rising cost of postage and printing, I find myself needing to ask for some help.
For the purpose of kicking off The Remnant Writers Fund, I want to formally introduce our many writers from around the world over the course of the next few issues. Below, therefore, I have interviewed Robert Lazu Kmita – an excellent writer and family man from Romania. I hope you will see in Robert, as I do, a friend and kindred spirit who will, please God, will be part of The Remnant’s stable of writers for many years to come.
Would you consider, therefore, helping The Remnant in one of these three ways:
- Donate to The Remnant Writers Fund
- Make a general tax-free donation to The Remnant Foundation
- Give a gift subscription to a friend or family member (see the advertisement below)
If you can do that, I promise to continue doing my part along with our Remnant team here in St. Paul, and I’m convinced God will do the rest. Donations can be sent in one of the three following ways:
- By telephone donation: (651) 433-5425
- By online donation at RemnantNewspaper.com/Donate
- By snail mail: The Remnant, PO Box 1117, Forest Lake, Minnesota 55025
Thank you so much for your kind consideration of my request, for your continued prayers, and for all you’ve done already. As I’ve said so many times in the past, The Remnant is blessed with the best friends and allies in the world, and I continue to be truly humbled by your support and faithful friendship. May God bless you all.
Introducing Robert Lazu Kmita:
An Interview with a Survivor of Soviet Occupation
Michael J. Matt: Where did you grow up, and what is your profession?
Robert Lazu Kmita: I was born and raised in Galați, a city in the eastern part of Romania. In a way, this is strange because no generation before mine has stayed in the same place. Essentially, we are a family of “pilgrims”—one could say. My parents were both born in Romania’s capital, Bucharest. However, their parents were not “Bucharesters,” just as my parents are not “Galățeni.” My grandparents are of Polish and Ukrainian descent (on my father’s side) and Romanian and Russian descent (on my mother’s side). Although their children—my parents—were born in Bucharest, my grandparents were not natives of Romania’s capital but came from the former northeastern regions—like Galicia, Bukovina, and Moldavia. Driven out of those areas during World War II, they embarked on a “pilgrimage.” Thus, some remained in Romania, while others left for Austria and Germany.
As for my profession, it’s hard to say. In terms of education, I hold a doctorate in Philosophy and have occasionally taught as a professor at a few universities. I also started two other doctorates—one in comparative literature and another in systematic theology—but could not finish them. I worked in the publishing and editorial industry—serving as editor-in-chief of a theological magazine for three years and as a columnist for two years to one of Romania’s most important cultural newspapers, Adevărul Literar și Artistic (The Literary and Artistic Truth). For ten years, I worked in the IT field as a software tester. Essentially, I have always struggled to provide for my family. Even now, I’m not managing it very well. That’s why, at times, it’s hard for me to say what I am: no field, no profession truly rewards my work—I don’t currently have a salary either. Can I truly say I am something? I don’t know. For now, I write. That’s what I have done most over the past thirty years. So, I should say that I am a writer. I would love to be able to say that wholeheartedly, but perhaps the best judges of this are those who read my articles—and, perhaps, my novels—to decide whether or not I truly am one. It is not easy to be a writer—a true writer, I mean. It is a great responsibility and a very difficult mission. The art of writing demands an enormous amount of work and a certain measure of talent.
Michael J. Matt: Was this during the Cold War?
Robert Lazu Kmita: Yes, I grew up during the Cold War era. I still remember the official speeches of the dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, as well as the long lines for basic food items or the period (after the 1980s) when we received bread, eggs, and oil rationed on coupons. Communist propaganda did everything it could to convince us how bad and rotten Westerners were in general, and Americans in particular. To this end, they showed us TV series like the famous Dallas. The result was downright amusing: exactly the opposite of what the communists intended. If they wanted the Romanian people to believe how cunning and corrupt the capitalist, bourgeois Americans were, watching the series made many Romanians dream of going to… the United States. And we, the children, were also influenced by this spirit: American movies and music were everything. Whenever a kid announced that there would be an action movie on Saturday evening, the immediate question would be: “Is it American?”
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Michael J. Matt: Would you say the situation in your country has improved since Soviet occupation?
Robert Lazu Kmita: It depends on the perspective we take. If we’re talking about fundamental and essential freedoms (including religious freedom), yes, many things have changed for the better. We can travel freely, go to other countries, receive foreign visitors, and buy everything that an American, an Englishman, or a Frenchman can buy. However, if we’re talking about Christian Tradition (which for me can only be the Roman Catholic one), no, nothing has changed: in Romania, once it was eliminated (by replacing the Traditional Latin Mass with the “manufactured” Mass of Pope Paul VI), it was never recovered. Now, practically, it is nonexistent. Most Catholics have never even heard of it. I first learned about it from a Romanian-American professor who told me in an interview how things were before the Second Vatican Council. But most Catholics in Romania never find out about such things.
Michael J. Matt: Is Europe beyond hope, or do you see signs that the Great Reset, for example, is falling apart?
Robert Lazu Kmita: I don’t know. For me, the state of the world and the current crisis are absolutely secondary compared to the crisis in the Church. I see some worrying phenomena—such as the increasing emigration. But even that is not a fundamental problem, as throughout history, migrations have always been phenomena that reshaped the geography and culture of places and even whole regions. However, the most serious issue, in my view, is that the Christian family is in great danger. For example, through state interference in its life—I’ve already mentioned the state monopoly on education. But also through policies that visibly discourage large families and, especially, the spreading and preservation of the Gospel within families. Mass culture, mobile phones, and countless other factors undermine the family. Clearly, we are dealing with what some historians call a “post-Christian” world. I think we could also call it “anti-Christian.” When before have abortion, contraception, pornography, sins of all kinds, immodest role models, and similar phenomena been as widespread as they are today?
Of course, we could have a detailed (even political) discussion about the situation in each European country; overall, however, the situation seems chaotic and devoid of a future. Personally, I believe we need saints. Real ones, who perform miracles. Do you know any personally? Once, here in Italy where I live, you could meet them on the streets. Now they’re nowhere to be found.
The Lazu Kmita Family
Michael J. Matt: Remnant readers have appreciated your work over the past few years. Can you tell us what you hope to achieve with your Remnant column in future?
Robert Lazu Kmita: For me, your prompt response and The Remnant’s openness to publishing the articles of someone unknown from a completely different part of the world is nothing short of miraculous. To see my articles in the same publication where legendary authors like Walter Matt, Michael Davies, Christopher Ferrara, and John Rao have written, is a great honor and joy. And I thank you for this.
Over the years, I’ve accumulated massive folders in my desk drawers on topics such as the mysteries of the Bible, mystagogical catecheses, comprehensive interpretations of apocalyptic texts, apologetics, book reviews, film critiques, animated works, sacred music, Christian iconography, and many others. I’ve started to put some of them to use in the magazine’s pages. Others may see the light over the next 100 years. By the way, for a Romanian scholar, it is normal to read literally everything (like some of our intellectual models – Bogdan Petriceicu Hașdeu, Nicolae Iorga, Mircea Eliade). This stems from the lack of accessible libraries, which makes us eager to consume any book that comes our way. Even now, I still have hundreds, if not thousands, of notes from classic and modern authors whom I’ve been reading continuously for over 30 years.
The directions in which I wish to invest the most energy are those aimed at strengthening, cultivating, and growing the supernatural virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.
But, in any case, the mere fact of writing in the service of Truth remains the consolation of a pilgrim citizen from the edge of the known world. I owe this to you, Michael J. Matt—to you and your family who created The Remnant. I can only thank you, thank you all (including the readers!), from the bottom of my heart.
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