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New Zealand Tablet, 9 January 1913, Page 13

Catholic social action in Spain is being pushed- forward rapidly. Obeying the inspiration and letter of Pope Pius X. in 1909, Cardinal Aguirre, Archbishop of Toledo, founded the National Organisation of Catholic Action. Under this, and sustained and guided by the hierarchy are Diocesan . Councils, which work through diocesan and parochial associations. The development of these is very remarkable. Their purpose is to protect the people against social danger of every kind, to draw the careless to the churches, to promote the teaching of Catechism and works of beneficence. They are combining and utilising the pious and charitable organisations existing in each parish. The director of one of thes# parochial associations said, the other day, at one of their annual meetings in Madrid, ‘ Whoever says that we Catholics of Spain are not organised makes a statement that is no longer true.’ The rapidity with which social works advance is illustrated by the success of Padre Nevares, S.J., and Senor Monedero in their agricultural enterprises in the province of Valencia. In a few months they formed twenty syndicates with Raffeisen banks, and enrolled 10,000 agricultural laborers in the Catholic Agrarian Federation.