135 T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S __________ ____________________ _
March 1926
Transformed by the Power of the Son ot Lrod (A short sketch o f the life of an.ex-priest, now a member of the Mission family of the Orinoco River Mission.) In 1920 Mr V. V. Eddings, a graduate of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, founded the Orinoco River Mission, with Q u a r t e r s S c ^ V n ^ T e n e s u e l a , South America, the Lord having laid 4 Held upon his heart. The Mission is organised on the faith basis and fifteen niissionaries are now-preaching the Gospel under its auspices. This thrilling story of the conversion of Eliesar Fernandez is a splendid illustration o f the far-reaching results of the work.
privilege of being the first resident missionaries on this island, had laid the foundations of a permanent mis sion and made plans for a chapel to be built before going to the States on fur lough. In Puerto Fermin, a small fish ing town on the coast, this Gospel Chapel.*had been built, by the native believers themselves, a native worker was in charge and the work was spreading throughout the island. To this island came the young priest, Fer nandez, then twenty-seven years old. Evidently news of the splendid Gospel work being done had reached the ears of the bishops of Venezuela, for, after a conference at the capital, they made inquiry of Fernandez concerning the spread of Protestantism on the island. As a result of this report of the steady growth of the Gospel work in spite of all the Roman opposition, they pur chased for him at the cost of some $720 the title of “ Special Missionary of the Holy See of Rome in Margarita against Protestantism.” This title gave him the privilege of speaking in any church on Margarita at any time and the priest made use of it zealously, holding, special services every night in different towns, warning against the deadly heresy of Protestantism, which would rob its followers of their souls. He fired the people with such fanatical hatred against the heretics that the Gospel services had to be' held unan nounced behind closed doors. With some one hundred and fifty followers, he attacked the home of one of the believers during a service, pelting the house with mud and stones. Being urged to more drastic steps by letters from his bishop,’ he decided to do away with everything Protestant in Margar ita. He had the Christians put in Jail, forced them to work on the roads, carry his organ, bells, etc., including the images, as he went from place to place; taught the children to insult t!. .m and kept his followers watching their every little act in order to find some fault if possible. A Church Built— A Chapel Destroyed Before the Protestants built their chapel in Puerto Fermin, the Roman priests had scarcely come to the town, but now Fernandez began to build a
K — gnLIEZAR FERNANDEZ was R ' ~ jjra born and raised in the city K|JES b I of Cumana, the capital of the state of Sucre, on the north ern coast of Venezuela. This city has good federal schools and boasts of ‘‘society,’* “ night life,” etc., and is quite a manufacturing town, as well as a busy seaport. t His parents were Roman Catholics by baptism at birth, but as is generally the case now in South America, neither went to church except on the great feast days. Being fairly well off financially, the parents sent Eliezar to the Federal schools where he received a good education. Besides this, he studied the Bible, philosophy and was altar boy in the Roman Church. A Priest at Twenty-three Years of Age When he was fourteen years old, the Bishop from Ciudad Bolivar visited Cumana and persuaded his parents to give him to the Church. Thus, in blind and unquestioning faith he put on the black r.obes and became a “ familiar” of the Bishop of Ciudad Bolivar. For two and a half years he was there as Chaplain of the Cathedral Choir, where his work was so meritorious that he was then sent to Caracas and placed in the seminary bjf the Archbishop. He soon became head of the student^ and at twenty-one years was ordained sub-deacon. A year later the Nuncio (the Pope’s personal representative) ordained him Deacon, and he showed such zeal and fitness that when only twenty-three years old the Archbishop secured special permission from the Pope to ordain him a priest. (The rule of the Roman Church doeB not permit ordination to the prleithood until the age of twenty-five.) Honor and Applause While in the Seminary at Caracas Fernandez won a scholarship in the Seminary at Rome, but he refused to go, because he could see no good re sulting from other priests who had gone. His next office was that of Sec retary of the “ Curia Arzobispal," (the Tribunal of the Church) which deals with the personal character and repu tation of the priests in all Venezuela, and thus he came to know personally all the priests of Rome in that coun-
Rev. Van V . L id ia s * General Director Orinoco R iver M ission
try. He built the Church of Santa Rosa in Caracas and a chapel, “ Capilla del Carmen,” and as a result had added prestige and was given a special two years’ course of lectures by the Arch bishop and Nuncio, entirely devoted to the opposition of Protestantism. The zealous priest then began a vigorous ministry against the Protestants, go ing first to Puerto Piritu, where he held conferences and built a chapel. Next in Miranda he'founded a new parish, and was made Vicar of Ocu- mare del Tuy, where he finished the church building and preached with such “ zeal but not according to knowl edge" that the Brethren missionaries from Caracas had to leave the town, though they had been preaching the Gospel there for some time. The next year he was again called So Caracas and made Director of the Sucre Col lege and Chaplain of the town of Los Dos Caminos. He also held confer ences far the purpose of denouncing the Protestants, edited two papers and a “ Parish Sheet,” all three dedicated to the destruction of the work of the Gospel in Venezuela. Persecuting the Protestants On the island of Margarita, Just off the northern coast of Venezuela and belonging to- her, the Lord had given many blessings to the Gospel workers. Mr. and Mrs. Van V. Eddings had the
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