FREEDOM from persecution - fear want - bondage
YOU A N D 1 ENJOY THESE FREEDOMS — and we cherish the most important freedom of all: the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own consciences. That any group would conspire to deny this freedom to others may seem too fantastic to be true. That there are men right here in America who are denied this freedom may seem unbelievable. But the facts prove that it is true. These Are the Undeniable Facts • Priests who leave the Church of Rome are persecuted: by slander, by pressure brought to bear on their families and friends to banish them, and, in South America and Europe, by physical violence. • Priests who leave the Roman Catholic Church live in fear. They know by observation that to break them Rome will command all of her powerful social, economic and political forces. • Priests who leave the Church of Rome are victims of a calculated effort to prevent them from earning a livelihood. Many employers will not hire a man who indicates that he has been a former priest. Seldom does the former priest have any private funds or clothes. W ith no place to go, he lives in want. • Priests who have told their superiors of their desire to leave the Church have sometimes been forcibly restrained. Some have been committed to Roman Catholic hospitals and mental institutions from which release is almost impossible. More terrifying than physical bondage are the threats of purgatory and hell which are used to hold them in spiritual bondage. . , . As Many As the Lord Our God Shall Call Acts 2:39 Today in all parts of the world, Roman Catholic priests are leaving the Church. The reasons they give for leaving reveal their spiritual and intellectual search for the truth. • They are disillusioned with practices inconsistent with Scripture
Our Help Is In the Name of the Lord
Psalm 124:8
Through a special ized program of reha bilitation, Christ’s Mis sion is helping many former priests discover a new ways of life — a life of p h y s ica l and spiritual freedom. The Mission provides coun sel and advice in prac tical and spiritual mat ters. Often we shelter, feed and clothe men who have just left the Church and have no means of support. Many
men are helped to find work. Travel and medical expenses are provided in emergencies. If the former priest is converted and feels called to serve God in the Protestant ministry, financial assistance is extended to enable him to attend a school or semi nary, spiritual help and guidance is a primary and integral part of the program of assistance. Christ’s Mission has helped over 600 former priests. Priests Are Leaving in Greater Numbers Today the opportunities are greater than they have ever been in our 75 years of service. More and more priests are resigning and appealing to us for assistance. W e are receiving these requests from all over America and many other parts of the world. This is especially true in South America, where perse cution is bitter against defectors. Priests tell us that many more would leave if they had a place of refuge. Dugan Center Being Established Because of this increasing need, and as a result of long and prayerful consideration, Christ’s Mission is establishing a center for former priests. This center will enable us to provide a more complete and integrated program of rehabilitation. A special committee of experts in the field of education, business, guidance, health and theology will meet with the former priests and help them work out the many problems they face. They will have the help of our job placement program and will receive spiritual and material aid. Throughout their period of readjustment, they will be living with men who understand and sympathize with their problems. Rev. Frank F. Payas, a Roman Catholic priest for 20 years and a Protestant pastor for 10 years, has been appointed supervisor of the center. We Must Act at Once A property, ideal for this center, has been offered to Christ’s Mission by a wonderful Christian family at a fraction of its actual value. The Board of Trustees have voted to purchase this property and establish the Dugan Center at once. Prayer and the open door of opportunity have convinced them it is the Lord’s leading. They have authorized a financial appeal of $50,000 to purchase the property and establish the former priest center. We Will Need the Generous Help of Friends W e appeal to readers because we believe that you will support this act of faith. May we ask you to give both gen erously and sacrificially that we may be enabled to assist more priests in their search for freedom. Y ou will want to have an important part in making this center a reality. Please pray about this carefully and, as soon as you can, send your contribution to us. W e are sure you will stand by us in this hour of urgency. Dr. Walter M. Montano, Executive Director, Rev. Frank Payas, Supervisor, Dugan Center, CHRIST’S MIS SION, Dept. K, 27 East 22nd Street, New York 10, N.Y.
This building will be used for the former priest center.
• They have discovered serious errors in the theological dogma of the Roman Catholic Church • They have recognized that salvation by works is a mockery • They have witnessed the evils of a totalitarian hierarchy • They have been shocked by political and moral corruption within the Church
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