Scientology Opens Doors to New Ideal Mission in European City of Charm

Today marked the start of an incredible year as Košice set the benchmark in opening the first Ideal Scientology Mission for Eastern Europe.

Home to over a quarter-million people, Košice is a city that boasts a stunning mix of architectural styles, from Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque to Art Nouveau, Cubist and Classicist. Among the local landmarks are a 5,000-seat Cathedral, a ruined castle—attacked in battle 700 years ago—not to mention a collection of universities, museums, galleries and theaters that give Košice the well-earned moniker of European Cultural Capital. So, as you walk down bustling Hlavna street and pass rows of colorful houses, city mansions and buzzing cafés you enter the charming city center and discover the bright new Ideal Scientology Mission of Košice.

Scientology Missions form the vanguard of the Scientology religion, providing the full array of basic and introductory Scientology services and Scientology auditing (spiritual counseling). And now joining the ranks of Ideal Missions, the new Scientology Mission in Košice is designed to serve as the physical embodiment of Scientology technology in helping all to attain spiritual freedom.

So it was, Saturday, January the 13th was not your run-of-the-mill day in the picturesque European gem of Košice. Local leaders, dignitaries and parishioners came together to celebrate the dedication of their ideal new facilities in the heart of the city.

Those that graced the stage included, Stefan Matus, retired Chief of the Regional Project Office, U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime; Petra Pogady, award-winning Slovak pianist; and Gabriel Nagy, Mayor of Jasov.

Kicking off the dedication ceremony, Peter Kokolus, the Mission Executive Director, told the crowd the new Mission is in fact the former home of the first Mayor of Košice, Mr. Paul Novak, whose contributions to the city include the building of schools, a hospital, a firefighting unit and new homes, proving that “This house has always served higher means, humanitarian means,” and adding, “this structure has long symbolized the fight for freedom!”

“Our Mission is also here to serve the whole community, as the central ground from where we emanate the solutions of Scientology Founder, Mr. L. Ron Hubbard, for drug rehabilitation, drug prevention and campaigns to salvage every sector of society.”

Major Stefan Matus recalled the days when Slovakia formed an independent state in 1993. “Not only was the drug problem a new issue,” he said, “there were really no solutions in place. We were like pioneers conquering a huge problem.” While searching for the answers, he was approached by local representatives of the Church-sponsored Drug-Free World campaign. “The lectures delivered by Drug-Free World Slovakia talk to the kids at their level,” he said. “This results in our youth understanding the danger of taking any drug. The focus on prevention is why your campaign will make Slovakia drug-free!”

Petra Pogady, award-winning concert pianist, spoke of the joy of music, and the exhilaration that comes from brightening lives through music and humanitarian work. She cited the work of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers “ensuring freedoms for all religions,” and said she hopes the new Mission will “bring about a bigger life and new vigor to Eastern Slovakia.”

Gabriel Nagy, Mayor of Jasov in the Košice district, praised the work of The Way to Happiness Foundation for their help in improving conditions in the area. “We trained the local leaders of the gypsy community on the 21 precepts, so they in turn could work with and educate their kids and thus improve the standard of living for their people.”

While capping the spirit of the celebration, Nagy concluded: “I see in this new Mission in Košice a resource to help our people to further flourish and prosper. I am sure we will find new ways to help our city and community, to reduce crime and increase the understanding and cooperation between all ethnics here. I look forward to working with you to create an even better Slovakia.”

Visitors to the Košice Mission are welcome to tour the Public Information Display, featuring multimedia presentations of the basic beliefs and practices of Dianetics and Scientology as well as the life and legacy of L. Ron Hubbard.

As an Ideal Church of Scientology Mission, Košice is equipped with every facility needed to provide the full array of introductory Scientology services. These include the popular Life Improvement Courses through which anyone may find workable solutions to common challenges of everyday life—such as how to improve a marriage, successfully raise children, increase personal motivation, and set and achieve goals.

The new Mission also offers seminars on a wide range of topics, including personal efficiency. The Hubbard Dianetics Seminar is based on Mr. Hubbard’s watershed work Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, the bestselling book that reveals the source of one’s nightmares, unreasonable fears and irrational behavior—the reactive mind—and how to conquer it.

Additionally, the Mission provides spiritual counseling, known as auditing, and the Purification Program, developed by Mr. Hubbard to free individuals from the mental and spiritual damage caused by drugs and toxins.

Ideal Church of Scientology Missions have opened in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Senigallia, Italy and Taichung, Taiwan in just the past 6 months. Many more are set to open across North and South America, Europe and Asia in the coming year.