Omaha, USA - For more than two decades, a group of Roman Catholics secluded themselves on a sprawling wooded compound in the Ponca Hills north of Omaha. They lived as hermits, giving up their families, jobs and possessions to live in poverty and pray for people.
Known as the Intercessors of the Lamb, the band of penniless men and women took prayer requests from around the world and raked in millions of dollars through religious gatherings and the sale of books and tapes by founder Nadine Brown.
But in mid-October, the Archdiocese of Omaha denounced the group, sending a bus to the compound to whisk away 50 or so members to a retreat 70 miles away. Catholics were warned to disregard Brown's teachings and stop funding her group amid claims its finances were mismanaged and Brown intimidated its members, who live with few possessions other than the robes she gives them.
The path that led to the archdiocese's serious move to "suppress" the group is disputed.
Archdiocese officials said Brown resigned voluntarily after it raised issues with the way the group was being run. Brown claims she was forced out and escorted off the property by authorities.
The church's split with the Intercessors — known in Catholic circles as "suppression" — is more about control over the group's form and function, the scholars say.
Suppression is typically reserved for floundering parishes and inactive church groups, but is occasionally used to silence wayward organizations.
Brown, 80, has denied any wrongdoing. Messages left for her at the Intercessors' office have not been returned, and no one else there has made themselves available for comment.
Brown lives at the gated compound with 10 or so members who have stayed loyal to her.
Access to the property is restricted, and the rolling landscape and trees make it difficult to see activity there.
Former Intercessors board member Bob Schropp, who stepped down about a year ago but has stayed in contact with the group, said there were no financial problems when he left.
Religious scholars say it's unlikely the Intercessors will be able to recover.
Nick Cafardi, a dean emeritus and professor at Duquesne University, says suppression isn't to be taken lightly.
"It is a form of 'death penalty' to an organization," he said.