The Cult on the Cape

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 describes trying desperately to become the “good” person Grenville demanded—while never knowing exactly what was wrong with who she already was. She reflects on the lasting damage of being taught to distrust herself, the loneliness of being sent to Bermuda as an unpaid worker, and the dream of horses and Montana that became her imagined path to freedom.

Becky eventually left determined to begin her life. But, as she explains, appearing resilient is not the same as escaping unharmed: “The fallout comes later.”

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, and spoke about what it means to find your voice — and to help others find theirs. You’ll also hear directly from two survivors of the Community of Jesus as they share their experiences and the lasting impact those experiences have had on their lives.

For decades, many survivors were taught to stay silent.

Now, they are speaking.

These are the voices of Stand for Truth.

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 in high-control groups, the fear of leaving everything they have ever known, and the quiet determination it took to begin imagining a different life.

She reflects on the moment she realized the outside world wasn't what she'd been taught to fear, why so many people try to leave "the right way," and what it has taken to rebuild her identity after decades of control.

This episode is an honest conversation about autonomy, faith, healing, and the extraordinary courage required to choose yourself when you've been taught your entire life not to.

Content Note: This episode contains discussions of religious coercion, emotional abuse, family separation, and trauma.

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 story offers a powerful look at what it means to be born into a system you never had the chance to choose—and the courage it takes to reclaim your life.

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 heartbreaking experience of being pressured to criticize his own mother, and the realization that the "community" he had been promised was anything but family.

Together, Todd and Bonnie explore the psychological concept of bounded choice—how people can appear to have freedom while, in reality, every option comes at an unbearable cost. They also discuss the manipulation of faith, the erosion of personal autonomy, and why asking, "Why didn't you just leave?" misses the reality of life inside a high-control group.

This episode offers an honest and deeply thoughtful look at coercive control, family separation, and the courage it takes to recognize when something claiming to be spiritual has become something very different.

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 technology, acting, and making people laugh, but who also spoke about long hours of work, separation from his parents, and a childhood that looked very different from that of his peers.

Through the eyes of someone who knew him as a student, listeners will hear a deeply personal perspective on Ollie’s early life, the challenges he faced, and the lasting questions raised by his story.

The episode concludes with an update on the ongoing federal lawsuit against the Community of Jesus, Arts Empowering Life, and the Performing Arts Building Foundation, as well as a discussion of “bounded choice” and the complex realities faced by families raised inside high-control environments.

This is not an episode about legal filings.

It is an episode about a child, a family, and the long journey of understanding what happened after leaving a world they once knew as home.

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 leadership.

She reflects on the slow realization that something was deeply wrong, the fear that kept her trapped, and the year-long process of preparing to escape. Suzan recounts the dramatic day she walked away with little more than a small bag, a passport, and the hope of finding freedom.

But this episode is not only about trauma—it is also about healing. Suzan shares how she rebuilt her life, reconnected with her family after years of separation, found love, and discovered that life beyond a high-control group was possible. Her story is one of resilience, recovery, and the enduring power of reclaiming your own voice.

Whether you are a survivor of coercive control, have loved ones in a high-control environment, or simply want to better understand the lasting impact of these experiences, Suzanne's journey offers both insight and hope.

"It's never too late to get free." – Suzann

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 Community of Jesus.

In Part One of her story, Suzan shares the childhood wounds that made her vulnerable, the manipulation that made her stay, and the disturbing realities she witnessed during the group's earliest years—from forced loyalty and public shaming to physical abuse and the creation of a culture where obedience was everything.

This is the story of how a young woman traveled from Holland to Cape Cod—and into a nightmare she never saw coming.