Mauricio Romero is a Texas-based video game designer who has integrated his profession with his faith. But he hasn’t done it alone; today, his family is also part of this project, which evangelizes thousands of people through social media.
Minisciples is an Instagram account that creates short animated stories based on the Gospels, bringing the Word of God to life in an accessible, highly visual way.
Aleteia spoke with Mauricio to learn more about his story, his family dynamic, and the origins of this Catholic project.
A search for answers
Mauricio grew up in a Catholic family, and the practice of his faith really strengthened at the tender age of 8. However, like many young people, he distanced himself from the Church in his early teens. It wasn’t out of rebellion, but rather due to a lack of answers.
His analytical nature led him to question everything: the authority of the pope, the wealth of the Church, and apparent contradictions between what the Church teaches and does. Unable to find clear answers, he decided to step away.
Sometime later, encouraged by his mom, he began to explore faith experiences again, which awakened his curiosity. Eventually, he attended a healing retreat where something shifted inside him.
Upon returning home to Texas, he started reading Joseph Ratzinger’s Introduction to Christianity. It was a slow and demanding process. He broke down concepts, consulted theological dictionaries, and reread constantly. But little by little, something changed.
Every page awakened a greater desire to know God. Above all, he began to discover that his faith made sense. For the first time, it didn’t feel like an imposition, but an intellectually solid possibility. Believing didn’t mean he had to stop thinking; it meant thinking more deeply.
That understanding marked the beginning of a more conscious faith.
Faith in the face of pain
Shortly after getting married, Mauricio and his wife faced the loss of their first child. It was not only a time of profound pain but also an existential crisis. How could they understand a God who permits such suffering?
In the midst of that process, his wife became his anchor. She reminded him of something essential: their marriage was a union not of two, but of three, “because God is in the center.”
Returning to their community and to a shared spiritual life allowed them to understand that even the most difficult experiences can become an encounter with God. That realization didn’t eliminate the pain, but it gave it meaning.
Fatherhood as a mission
Mauricio is now the father of six daughters. When his first daughter — now 19 — was born, he faced a concrete reality. In his area of the United States, there were no quality Catholic resources for children; most available content was Protestant. That was when, drawing from his background in design and video game development, he decided to create something of his own. He wanted a project that would communicate the Catholic faith clearly and attractively to little ones.
That is how Minisciples was born.
The project reflects the life lived in their home: daily Mass, family prayer, and intentional faith formation, even before receiving the sacraments.
Evangelizing with beauty
The project has grown with a clear strategy: remaining faithful to the biblical text and following the liturgical calendar. This approach has allowed people from different Christian backgrounds, including Protestant audiences, to connect with the content.
“We wanted a Japanese style, something simple that children could draw,” Mauricio explained. “The project, called Minisciples, was 20 years in the making. Today, my oldest daughter does the illustrations, and I handle the animations.”
Because the project began in English, the primary audience consists mostly of women in the United States. However, after responding to public requests to translate the content into Spanish, its reach has expanded internationally, especially to countries in Latin America, although it also has followers as far away as India.
Mauricio and his family collaborate on this initiative with a clear goal: helping more people deepen their faith and approach the Word of God consistently. The project’s mission can be summed up in one phrase:
“To make Minisciples — disciples — of all nations. That is the great commission.”
