I’m not talking about Abe.

He loves Linux and is an advocate of open source (though he would often use the term Free software), wears a collar and you can tell him your innermost secrets and he would not be able to tell anybody else.

Fr. Stephen Cuyos, MSC. Blogger, podcaster, FOSS Advocate. A priest with a microphone, Wordpress and a camera.

A couple of years ago, when I was introduced to the world of podcasting, I googled these keywords: Philippines Podcast. The number one on the list was the Cuying Podcast. Clicking on the link led me to a Filipino priest in Italy who, like Fr. Roderick of  the SQPN network and DailyBreakfast, drew faith lessons from Star Wars.

Conversing with the man, you can immediately sense his passion to help and elevate his neighbor’s plight. He has found his niche: Open Source. He is an active advocate of it’s use in the Philippines. And I think he was tickled pink to know that the Vatican used Linux too. Headed by a nun no less! He can talk to you about the various flavors of Linux, compare the commercial productivity suites with OpenOffice, and yet you can sense that all these come from an informed person, not someone who is anti-establishment or anti-business. In fact, he says he is not anti-anything but is more of pro-open source. If anybody wants to convince congress how open source is a good thing and not a barrier to business, I think he is the man.

He reasons that his advocacy smoothly blends with his vocation. The concept of open source jives with the teachings of the church on social justice, whose bottom line is the common good. I agree. And they really do.

We need more people like him. I think we’ll see, read and hear of him more often.