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From Catholic Seminary to Jehovah’s Witnesses

THE following are some of my experiences during my preparation for the priesthood in the Catholic religion until I became one of Jehovah’s witnesses.

In my youth I was a lad full of life and illusions about the Catholic religion. A new and zealous priest in my home town of Arroyo Arenas in the Havana Province assisted me in becoming very punctual in church attendance and in joining the Catholic Action youth group. This same priest also organized the Knights of Columbus organization for adults. I was in two of these groups that attended the San Carlos and San Ambrosio seminaries. To me this was really outstanding, as I considered the Catholic Church the true preserver and holder of God’s worship and truths.

However, I must confess that at times doubts entered my mind on subjects like this, for instance: God says not to kill and yet Catholics of different nations kill each other. Why? I asked the priest one day and he said: “Well, they don’t shoot with the idea of killing.” His answer impressed me but didn’t satisfy me.

After serving as the priest’s assistant for about five years I was sent among a group of priesthood aspirants to Belén, a well-known Catholic school for “spiritual retirement.” We were to remain silent five days, not uttering a word, meditating and reading about the lives of “saints” of the Catholic Church. One evening, when I was about to eat my dessert in this place of retirement, a priest came up from behind me and took away that big, generous bowl of ice cream, saying: “Offer it to the Lord.” I refused even to think of protesting, because a priest had done this. Later I read in the Bible that Jehovah desires obedience, not sacrifice.

Sometime later I was called upon to represent my school in a contest that the archbishop of Havana had arranged for as to the best-prepared student on the catechism of Catholic doctrine. Immediately after this contest I began preparing to enter the regular seminary for the priesthood. The wife of an ex-president of Cuba, together with a priest, bought me the necessary garments and clothing required for the course. I am from a poor family and I had no money.

Upon entering the seminary I had to spend another week of meditation as to whether I really and fully desired to be a priest. Not a word could be spoken during that week. I decided that I did want to be a priest. The first four years of the seminary are spent in studying the Spanish language to as close to perfection as possible. I was allowed three outings a year—one on my saint’s day and two on the days of the saints of my parents. These studies are carried on under the strictest discipline.

However, after one of my outings I became sick and was unable to return to the seminary. I dropped the seminary career. Years went by and my faith in the church waned. I was working for a bus company during this time.

One day a new employee was assigned to work with me. I could tell by his speech that he was different; his reasoning was different. On one occasion a political shooting took place in the city and five persons lost their lives. I asked him something about their being brought to justice. He said that there was no such thing as justice in this world, all of which sounded unusual to me but true.

Later he pointed out to me in an argument that what I was saying about the soul was wrong. He suggested I read the Bible. I then went to our local priest and asked for a Bible. He told me that if that individual should give me a Bible I should bring it to the priest to have him explain it to me.

I was then invited by the new employee to accompany him to the Kingdom Hall. Finally one Sunday I went with him. I previously had heard a woman say ‘any day is a good day to read the Word of God’ and that expression ‘Word of God’ stuck with me. So when I went to the Kingdom Hall I thought of it immediately. However, I had a strange sensation there among those people. I had always hated Protestants and repudiated the idea, and here I was in a Protestant temple! I was surely observing everything around me.

Inwardly I liked the speaker’s talk, his comments on the year 1914 and the pleasing ovation given him by the audience. Afterward many of those present showed me many prophecies in the Bible, especially so when they learned I had studied in a seminary. I got a Bible and started reading it from Genesis onward. Upon reading Matthew chapter 23 I made up my mind to quit Catholicism forever. Chapter 24 convinced me of the nearness of the end.

Everything seemed so good that I decided to take the Bible to the priest. I had already begun to talk about the Bible and the priest knew about it before I saw him. The people in our town had seen me many times in processions and religious parades; so the radical change was the subject for much talk. When I visited the priest in the church he first offered me a cigarette and a picture of a saint, both of which I refused. He began telling me about his recent visit to Rome where he saw the absolute holiness in the face and hands of the pope.

Then he started to reprimand me severely for studying the Bible, to which I replied that I believed no man’s word, only the Bible, the Word of God. He then said: “So you think that the Catholic Church is the harlot of the Revelation?” As I indicated she was close to it he became very angry and ended our conversation.

He then published a smearing article in his church magazine against those people who are always selling Bibles in the street and he labeled such as in contrast to ‘doctors of divinity,’ ‘doctors of coffee.’ Since then this same priest has read some of the Watch Tower publications, but there is no evidence of his believing them. Not long ago I presented him with the book “Equipped for Every Good Work” and Evolution versus The New World. I told him Armageddon was at the door. He said he was convinced of his religion the same as I was of mine.

Today my wife and I and two children are publishers of the good news. I pray Jehovah will help us to be faithful to the end.

I will hear what God Jehovah will speak; for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.—Ps. 85:8, 9, AS.