The Cult on the Cape

Building a Life, Losing Myself: Elizabeth Alina’s Story (Part 3) What happens when you leave the world you grew up in and try to build a life of your own—but discover that leaving doesn't mean leaving everything behind? In Part 3 of Elizabeth Alina’s story, Elizabeth talks about moving to North Carolina, starting her own business, and making a tremendous amount of money, even as she struggled...

Elizabeth Alina describes the time leading up to and including her exit from the Community of Jesus in Orleans Ma.

The Ocean I Swam In: Elizabeth Alina’s Story Elizabeth Alina’s earliest memories are memories of growing up inside the Community of Jesus. She remembers sleeping in a basement as a small child. Being taught, in ways she didn’t yet understand, that something was wrong with her. Learning to feel shame around her body, her thoughts, her emotions, and even her desire for connection with her own mother...

What happens when survivors tell their stories—and a community chooses to listen? On September 20th, over 100 people gathered at First Parish Brewster Unitarian Universalist Church as Shawn DeLude, Tim DeLude, and Bonnie Zampino shared their personal stories of growing up inside the Community of Jesus. Introduced by Susan Smith of First Parish Brewster UU, the event explored our experiences within...

Rock Harbor Truth gathered in Brewster for a Stand for Truth near the Performing Arts Center—a building survivors say was constructed, in part, through the labor of children from the Community of Jesus. In this special episode, hear the voices from that gathering. Together, they speak about abuse, accountability, survivor support, and the courage it takes to tell the truth in the very place where...

Bonnie continues her discussion with psychotherapist Kari Fillian, LICSW, about how faith can become a weapon in high-control environments. Together, they explore ways to heal from this kind of abuse. .Bonnie connects Kari’s clinical insight to her own experiences at the Community of Jesus—including “light sessions,” chronic exhaustion, family separation, and the regulation of emotions, sexuality,...

In this deeply personal conversation, Bonnie speaks with psychotherapist Kari Fillian, LICSW, about how faith can become a weapon in high-control environments. Together, they explore the BITE Model of control, the use of shame and forced confession, and the ways religious trauma can disrupt a person’s identity, relationships, nervous system, and ability to trust themselves. Bonnie connects Kari’s...

In Part Two of her story, Becky reflects on parenting a daughter with profound autism, confronting the lasting effects of Grenville and The Community of Jesus, and questioning the faith she inherited. Through fear, exhaustion, and deep self-examination, she discovers acceptance, a more expansive understanding of love, and the possibility that the life she has built is enough.

Becky Hathaway Dirksen was seven years old when her family moved to Grenville Christian College to live the life mandated by the Community of Jesus. What followed was a childhood governed by rigid schedules, forced labor, constant correction, family separation, and spiritual teachings that equated suffering with holiness and love with giving up what mattered most. In Part One of her story, Becky d...

Author Heather King came to the Community of Jesus expecting a Benedictine retreat. Then she Googled “Community of Jesus Cult.”

On Sunday, survivors, allies, and community members gathered on Cape Cod for Stand for Truth — a public show of support for those harmed by the Community of Jesus and those still inside. In this special episode of The Cult on the Cape , we bring you the voices from that day. You’ll hear from an ally and survivor of sexual abuse who fought for justice, saw her abuser sentenced to 42 years in prison...

After spending her entire life inside the Community of Jesus, Magdelene Leon—known to many as Katie Buddington—believed her future had already been decided. In Part 2 of her story, she shares what it was like to take her vows as a novice and later as a permanently professed sister, despite a growing sense that something wasn't right. She describes the impossible choices faced by those raised i...

Katie Buddington (Magdalene Leon) was the first child born into the Community of Jesus. In this episode, she shares what it was like to grow up inside a high-control religious community where family bonds were broken, fear became normal, and children learned that obedience came before everything else. From public humiliation and harsh discipline to the lifelong effects of childhood trauma, Katie's...

Visit Todd's website for robust resources for those escaping coercive control. Resource for Life - A place to find healing and support after leaving abuse and coercive control.

In Part 1 of Todd Lynch's story, we hear what it was like to enter the Community of Jesus as a teenager after being raised in a loving family outside the group. What began as a search for spiritual guidance quickly became a life defined by separation, control, and impossible choices. Todd shares the shock of being sent away to Grenville Christian College in Canada with almost no notice, the heartb...

Before he became the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit, Oliver “Ollie” Ortolani was a child growing up inside the Community of Jesus. In this episode of The Cult on the Cape , Bonnie Zampino speaks with Ollie’s former teacher, Nick Gascoigne, who knew him years before his allegations became public. Together, they explore the person behind the headlines: a bright, inquisitive young boy who loved techn...

After 17 years as a sister in the Community of Jesus, Suzan shares the painful and courageous journey that led her to leave everything she knew behind. In this powerful continuation of her story, Suzan describes daily life inside the community, including relentless work schedules, sleep deprivation, public humiliations, physical abuse, food restrictions, and years of control under community leader...

At 18, Suzan Ewton left Holland for what was supposed to be a three-month summer job at Rock Harbor Manor on Cape Cod. It was 17 years before she left. What began as an opportunity to work at a seaside inn quickly became something far darker. Drawn in by promises of purpose, belonging, and a "special calling from God," Suzan became one of the earliest members of what would grow into the...

In this special episode of The Cult on the Cape , Bonnie Zampino reflects on the first Community Walk for Truth and the powerful response from survivors, family members, supporters, and community members who gathered in Orleans to stand together in truth, healing, and hope. Bonnie shares why the walk is returning on June 7 as part of the Walk for Truth Summer Series, what participants experienced...

In Part 2 of Bryan Catlin’s powerful story, Bryan shares what happened after he fled the Community of Jesus — terrified, exhausted, and completely unprepared for the outside world. What followed was a mental health crisis, arrest, hospitalization, and ultimately the beginning of rebuilding a life from scratch. Bryan speaks candidly about fear, isolation, survival, and the lifelong effects of growi...

In this deeply personal conversation, Bryan Catlin shares what it was like to be born into the Community of Jesus as the Grandson of the Mother and raised entirely within its world. From loneliness, homeschooling, and life with the brothers, to fear, control, emotional confusion, and repeated attempts to leave, Brian reflects on the complexity of growing up inside a high-control religious environm...

Note: We have edited the audio to remove the last name of the Community's inside attorney and the Busar mentioned in the podcast. To read the correspondence discussed, go to : 8 Months | My Life During and After The Community of Jesus Carrie Buddington responds to statements made about her departure from the Community of Jesus After living inside the Community of Jesus for 40 years—including 2...

Ken McCormick on surveillance, control, and seeing behind the curtain In Part 2 of Ken McCormick’s story, the deeper mechanisms of control inside the Community of Jesus begin to come into focus. Ken shares what it was like working with the Community’s audio systems—and the unsettling realization that conversations throughout the property could be monitored through hidden microphones and listening...

In this special episode for International Cult Recovery Day, Bonnie shares a speech recorded by her son Brendan for a college class final project. In it, Brendan reflects on the Community of Jesus, Rock Harbor Truth, survivor stories, and the importance of listening to people who have too often been silenced or dismissed. This episode is a reminder that recovery begins when people are willing to s...

Listen to Ken McCormick share his experiences during the early days of the Community of Jesus