While the world is still absorbing the loss of Billy Graham - last Friday evening in our Bible Study/Prayer Meeting, I was reminded of the loss of another spiritual giant in 2014, not as well known as Billy Graham - but still a giant in my eyes. In our Prayer Session that evening, I paired with two young Christian brothers, Herbert and Jeremiah. In a discussion after our prayer time, we talked about sharing our faith and being a witness to our Roman Catholic friends and family.
I shared with them how I met Anthony "Tony" Pezzotta, who served as Roman Catholic Director of Schools and Seminaries and Rector of Local Salesian Communities in Manila, Philippines, for ten years His testimony, sharing, and writings taught me that his leaving the Roman Catholic church in 1974 - did not mean that he was estranged from, or turning his back on, all his Roman Catholic family and friends.
That is why Anthony Pezzotta wrote the book "Truth Encounters, Catholicism And The Holy Scriptures" and described it as "A Bible Study For Catholics." In actuality it is a great Bible Study book for both Roman Catholics and for Protestant believers.
On April 5, 2014, the Christian world lost this spiritual giant and I wrote the blog below of the passing of my Friend, Anthony Pezzotta. For years Tony worked as Director of Ethnic Ministries with the Conservative Baptist Association of Southern California (now named Pacific Church Network) and his book was available through that office.
Since his death in 2014 Pacific Church Network has not reprinted his book because Tony's daughter, Marie Pezzotta Foote and her husband, Jordan, missionaries in San José, Costa Rica, have published the book in PDF format and are making it available on the internet.
Prayerfully either Pacific Church Network, or Marie and Jordan, will have this valuable book reprinted. It is handy to have in PDF format online - but when we want to share Tony's book with family and friends - it is best to be able to give them a hard copy book. Let's all keep in prayer that one of them will make this happen soon.
I shared with them how I met Anthony "Tony" Pezzotta, who served as Roman Catholic Director of Schools and Seminaries and Rector of Local Salesian Communities in Manila, Philippines, for ten years His testimony, sharing, and writings taught me that his leaving the Roman Catholic church in 1974 - did not mean that he was estranged from, or turning his back on, all his Roman Catholic family and friends.
That is why Anthony Pezzotta wrote the book "Truth Encounters, Catholicism And The Holy Scriptures" and described it as "A Bible Study For Catholics." In actuality it is a great Bible Study book for both Roman Catholics and for Protestant believers.
On April 5, 2014, the Christian world lost this spiritual giant and I wrote the blog below of the passing of my Friend, Anthony Pezzotta. For years Tony worked as Director of Ethnic Ministries with the Conservative Baptist Association of Southern California (now named Pacific Church Network) and his book was available through that office.
Since his death in 2014 Pacific Church Network has not reprinted his book because Tony's daughter, Marie Pezzotta Foote and her husband, Jordan, missionaries in San José, Costa Rica, have published the book in PDF format and are making it available on the internet.
Prayerfully either Pacific Church Network, or Marie and Jordan, will have this valuable book reprinted. It is handy to have in PDF format online - but when we want to share Tony's book with family and friends - it is best to be able to give them a hard copy book. Let's all keep in prayer that one of them will make this happen soon.
Below are two URL links which tell about the book and give a way to purchase it online:
Truth Encounter Book
Pacific Church Network
http://www.pacificchurchnetwork.com/truth-encounter-book/
Truth Encounter: Catholicism and the Holy Scriptures
http://www.truthencounterbook.com/
So, with all that said, if you want to read more about Anthony Pezzotta's life and influence in the Christian community, Roman Catholic and Protestant, my blog from 2014 is posted below:
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THIS WEEK THE CHRISTIAN WORLD HAS LOST A GIANT. Anthony Pezzotta went home to be with our Lord. To the best of my knowledge, Tony has been afflicted with an Alzheimer type disease for the past several years. He has been living in Denver with his family. This week, his daughter, Marie Pezzotta Foote, a missionary in San José, Costa Rica, posted the following message on Facebook:
My Daddy is SAFELY HOME, in the arms of Jesus. What a bittersweet time for our family, after his long battle against a terrible illness. I am so incredibly happy for him ... but there is definitely a part of me which aches inside right now, in a place where words struggle to form. I want to praise the Lord for answering our prayer and healing him permanently.
I want to thank all of you who have been a safe place of love & support to our family, especially to my parents and to my brother, as they bore the brunt of the struggle. Please continue to hold us up in prayer, especially my Mom, who has lost her best friend of 40 years. Mostly, please rejoice with us that, because of who Jesus is, one day, we will see Daddy again, perfectly whole, perfectly free.
I first met Anthony Pezzotta in writing some 25 plus years ago. A Filipino pastor Friend gave me a floppy disk which contained the unpublished manuscript of a book titled "Far From Rome, Near To God, Testimonies Of Fifty Converted Roman Catholic Priests" edited by Richard Bennett, former Dominican Priest and now Director of Berean Beacon in Portland, Oregon, and Martin Buckingham, Director of The Converted Catholic Mission in Leicester, UK.
That book is available at: https://www.thebereancall.org/content/far-rome-near-god
When I began to read the manuscript, I was immediately drawn to the very first testimony (at that time) in the unpublished manuscript. That testimony was written by Anthony Pezzotta and is titled "I Found Everything When I Found Christ." The reason I was immediately drawn to his testimony is that he was born in Italy into a devoutly Roman Catholic family, educated in Roman Catholic seminaries in England, Germany, Spain, and Rome, and spent a large part of his early ministry in the Philippines.
After being ordained, he went to the Philippines where he taught theology in Roman Catholic seminaries. He was later appointed and served as Director of Schools and Seminaries, as well as a Rector of Local Salesian Communities, for ten years. His association with the Philippines caught my attention because I was saved in a Filipino church in 1987 and have been associated with Filipino-American churches since then. And, my wife, children, and grandchildren are Filipino.
In his testimony "I Found Everything When I Found Christ" Tony wrote:
At the end of January 1974 I was in Santa Cruz, south of Manila, where an attractive Baptist church had just been built. I had never been in a Protestant church, so one day I walked quietly into the sanctuary to look around. Almost immediately I was greeted by a friendly Christian believer who introduced me to the pastor, Ernesto Montealegre.
Tony goes on to tell how he and Pastor Ernesto, in their conversations and friendship that followed, tried to convert one another. To make a long story a wee bit shorter, Father Anthony Pezzotta had a friendship with Pastor Ernesto Montealegre and also with my long time Friend, Pastor Joe de la Peña, now senior pastor of the Church On The Solid Rock in Lake Forest, California. And through that relationship Tony made the final decision to leave the Roman Catholic church and join the Baptist church.
About ten years ago, I was leading a Bible study in a Filipino-American church in Corona, California. That night, one of our members, Don, asked if I knew of any good resources he could offer his parents. He was concerned because his parents were still in the Roman Catholic church.
What a coincidence! Just the week before I had been in the Berean Christian book store in my neighborhood and saw that the book "Far From Rome, Near To God" had been published and Berean had a copy on their shelf. I told Don about it and went the next day to buy the book for him. But, evidently they had sold their only copy. I asked them to order two copies for me.
This is where it gets funny. When I did not hear from them right away, other things began to happen and I forgot about the books. Two years later, honest - TWO years later - I received a call from the Berean Christian book store, "Mr. Gray, the books you ordered have come in."
"What books?" I asked. Remember, it had been two years. "The copies of 'Far From Rome, Near To God'" the young lady told me.
After I stopped laughing, I told her, "That was two years ago." And, her response, "Naw, it couldn't have been!" Anyway, by the time I went to get the books, those two had been returned or sold. But by then I was able to find the book in another Christian book store.
Several years ago, my Friend, Pastor Joe de la Peña, e-mailed me that Tony Pezzotta was speaking at their church the following Sunday. Dory and I went to that service - and finally I was able to meet Anthony Pezzotta in person. I was not disappointed. Tony gave a message and then we broke for our obligatory Fil-Am Food Fellowship. No, that is not why I have stayed in Fil-Am churches for 26 years - but it is definitely a plus. Then Tony led a Question/Answer session.
One thing that Tony emphasized in his Q&A session, as well as in his writings, is: Even though he chose to leave the Roman Catholic church, he did not dislike nor look down upon Roman Catholics. Tony, like me, still had family and friends in the Roman Catholic church. It was just that he could not continue to teach and practice what he could no longer believe.
In December 2012, I wrote on the TimesDaily Religion Forum:
Today, while researching information for another article, I came upon the "Catholic Answers Forum" and a discussion regarding the book titled "Far From Rome, Near To God" which is the personal testimonies of 50 Roman Catholic priests who converted from Roman Catholicism to the Protestant faith.
A lady on the "Catholic Answers Forum" had written a negative comment about the book and the priests who had given their personal testimonies. So, I felt it prudent to jump in and attempt to offer insight into the book and some of the priests involved in bringing it to the public. This is what I wrote on the "Catholic Answers Forum":
Hi all, The book "Far From Rome, Near To God" is not a list of malcontents who have run from God. Actually, these are men, priests, who have been teaching the Word of God for many years - and, finally could not continue to deny the Bible as the sole authority for salvation and Christian living. In other words, they could no longer deny that we are saved, by grace, through faith - alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
In closing his testimony "I Found Everything When I Found Christ" - starting on page 266 of "Far From Rome, Near To God" - Tony Pezzotta tells us, on page 270, "The Bible teaches that it is not the church that makes us, but believers who make up the church. And since it is by grace through faith that we become lively stones of His church, Christ is the true builder. On the authority of the Bible alone, one must believe only on Him!"
Tony Pezzotta has also written an amazing book titled "Truth Encounter, Catholicism and the Holy Scripture." I highly recommend this book to both my Protestant and Roman Catholic friends.
This book is available through CB Southern California, PO Box 2279, Montclair, CA 91763-0779, Phone: 909.482.0728; or by contacting CB Ministries at cbministries@cbasc.com; or by going online at: http://cbasc.com/order_truth_encounter_online.htm
About seven years ago, the man who led me to the Lord in 1987, Pastor Sam Lacanienta, and his wife, Ida, were leaving to do an extended ministry in the Philippines. The church had a special farewell service for them where many of us gave our testimonies about how this Godly couple had touched and changed our lives.
One man, Carlos, stood, showed us his copy of "Truth Encounter, Catholicism and the Holy Scripture" and told us that even though he had been attending church with his family, he had not really been a Christian - until he read Tony Pezzotta's book "Truth Encounter" - and that made the difference in his life.
Anthony "Tony" Pezzotta has made a great difference in many lives through his Christian heart and ministry. Now, he has been promoted to heaven and to his deserved reward for being a faithful servant.
Matthew 25:21, "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.'"
Tony, my Friend, your family and all your many Christian Friends look forward to being in heavenly fellowship with you again one day.
To all my Friends, you can still profit from the legacy left behind by Tony Pezzotta - through the books "Far From Rome, Near To God" and "Truth Encounter, Catholicism and the Holy Scripture."
I pray that you will not only read these books, but that you will share them with your FRANs, all your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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