The Cult on the Cape
by Rock Harbor Truth
This is podcast about the Community of Jesus in Orleans, Massachusetts and its affiliated boarding school, Grenville Christian College. Join us as we talk to survivors who lived inside this system, survived it, escaped it, and are now telling the truth of what happened to them.
Episodes
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Episode 49 Stories from the Eastham Stand
What does it take to help someone leave the only world they’ve ever known? In this episode of The Cult on the Cape, we share voices from Rock Harbor Truth’s Stand for Truth in Eastham. Kristin Hoffman talks about helping several young people escape the Community of Jesus, and survivor John Catlin...
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Episode 48 The Ocean I Swam In Part 3
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...
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Episode 47 The Ocean I swam in Part 2
Elizabeth Alina describes the time leading up to and including her exit from the Community of Jesus in Orleans Ma.
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Episode 46 The Ocean I Swam In
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...
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Episode 45 Voices of Truth Live from UUC Brewster
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...
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Episode 44 Stories from the Stand
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…
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Episode 43 Religious Trauma and Spiritual Abuse Part 2
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...
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Episode 42 Religious Trauma and Spiritual Abuse Part 1
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...
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Episode 41 When God Becomes Your First Abuser Part 2
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...
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Episode 40 When God Becomes Your First Abuser
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…
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Episode 39 A Disney Horror Movie
Author Heather King came to the Community of Jesus expecting a Benedictine retreat. Then she Googled “Community of Jesus Cult.”
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Episode 38 Voices from The Stand
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…
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Episode 37 We Were An Experiment Part 2
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...
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Episode 36 We Were An Experiment Part 1
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...
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Episode 35 When Faith becomes Control Part 2
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.
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Episode 34 When Faith Becomes Control: Part 1
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...
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Episode 33 The Boy who Built the Theater
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....
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Episode 32 From Holland to Hell Part 2
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...
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Episode 31 From Holland to Hell
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...
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Episode 30 Why We Walk: The Walk for Truth Summer Series
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...
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Episode 29 Born Inside - Part 2
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...
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Episode 28 Born Inside
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...
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Episode 27 8 Months
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…
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Episode 26 Before We Knew - Part 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...
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A Special Episode for International Cult Recovery Day
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...
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Episode 25 Before We Knew
Listen to Ken McCormick share his experiences during the early days of the Community of Jesus
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Episode 24 Not A Path, The Path Part 2: From Harm to Healing
What happens after you survive? In this powerful continuation, Bonnie and Jeffrey Wilkinson explore the long road from harm to healing. They talk about shame, identity, self-worth, and the quiet, difficult work of rewriting the messages that were never yours to carry. If you’ve ever struggled…
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Episode 23 Not A Path - The Path
Dr. Jeffrey Wilkinson on trauma, memory, and healing after the Community of Jesus
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Episode 23 Not a Path—The Path
Dr. Jeffrey Wilkinson on trauma, memory, and healing after the Community of Jesus
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Episode 22 The Truth about Rock Harbor Truth
This episode is hosted by Mel McDaniel as she interviews Shawn DeLude and Bonnie Zampino about how Rock Harbor Truth came to be and its vision and mission for the organization.
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Remembering Mike Laraja
A Life, A Loss, A Story That Matters
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Episode 21 Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape
Matt Hempel entered the Community of Jesus at just 12 years old—and within weeks, he knew something wasn’t right. In this episode, Matt shares what it was like to grow up inside a highly structured, controlled environment where questioning wasn’t welcomed and conformity was expected. While parts…
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Episode 20 Thirty-Five years, Six months and Two days
Listen to former sister, Dianne Wentworth, reflect on her years inside the Community of Jesus.
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Episode 19 Your Host: The Guest
When the storyteller becomes the story. Listen to your host, Bonnie Zampino, tell her story on Let's Get Real, a podcast by Glenda Kroll.
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Remembering Aaron Bushnell
Today is the 2-year anniversary of Aaron Bushnell's act of extreme protest, and of his death. Today we aren't discussing the specifics of his final act. Instead, we are remembering the person that Aaron was. Listen to letters and stories from his friends, his teachers, and those who grew up with...
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Episode 18 The Reluctant Nun
Hear Susan Wilkins' story of becoming a nun and then leaving 20 years later
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Episode 17 - From Cape Cod to Colombia
Listen to Dan Burnham share his story
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Episode 16 The Apology
Meet Christina, hear her story and learn about the rare apology she received.
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Episode 15 She Must Be Somebody's Baby - Part 2
Hear the rest of Ruth's journey
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Episode 14 She Must Be Somebody's Baby - Part 1
Hear from survivor, Ruth Buddington, as she shares Part 1 of her story
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Episode 13 The psychology of cults with Dr. Natalie Fabert
Learn about what draws people into cults, keeps them there, and what happens when they leave. Resources are available: lalichcenter.org (where listeners can find links to the books, resources, and CE course for clinicians discussed in the episode) drfabert.com Linkedin:...
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Episode 12 All Through the Town
Meet Bev, a resident of Cape Cod and Physical Therapist, who worked with many Community of Jesus members. Hear her experiences and what she learned.
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Episode 11 Systemic: The Harm Was the System
Hear about the lawsuit against Grenville Christian College in this interview with Beth Granger, one of the Representative Plaintiffs in this class action lawsuit. https://bethgranger.ca
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Episode 10 - The Blueprint
The formation of the Community of Jesus - from post WWII Nazi Germany
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Episode 9 Defiance Lane: A House, a Trust, and the Cost of Obedience
The story of Sr. Madeleine
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Episode 8 The Making of Mother Cay
Learn the background of the woman who became Mother Cay
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Episode 7 Poor Little Rich Girl; the Making of Mother Judy
To learn about the Mothers, you must first learn about the girls they were.
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Happy Thanksgiving
From our Team to your Table.
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Episode 6 The Epilogue ... Is Just the Beginning
Hear what has happened since Carrie, Beth and Sarah walked away from these high-control groups....and what comes next.
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Episode 5 Reclaiming the Light
Learn what life is like after leaving a high control religious group, what healing looks like, and hear the wisdom left behind by our guests.
About this show
This is podcast about the Community of Jesus in Orleans, Massachusetts and its affiliated boarding school, Grenville Christian College. Join us as we talk to survivors who lived inside this system, survived it, escaped it, and are now telling the truth of what happened to them.
Hosted by
Rock Harbor Truth
Categories