29 VOLUME 9 |ISSUE 3 |2018
Edited by Mary O’Connell
Cap tells it, he was overwhelmed with joy when, on Christmas
Eve, Steve joined him in putting together a bicycle for Steve’s
younger sibling, Jim, peace restored to the family. “That was the
happiest Christmas we’d ever had.”
~
Take one look at the picture of
Joan Capellini’s beautiful face
and you can see, behind the
energy and joy that radiates
there, a deeply felt tranquility.
This is a woman whose life was
built on something solid. Her
face tells the story of a woman
who was well-loved and who
shared that love with the world.
There’s an adage, “If you want
to know a man’s character, look
at his wife’s face.” While it is not politically correct in these days,
it certainly is true that one’s intimates have a great impact. Cap
is effusive in his praise of Joan and freely admits her superior
capability in certain things. When Steve became involved with
the Unification Church, it was a turning point for Joan. Cap puts it
this way:
Out of that bad experience, very good things
happened. Joan, very shy, became extremely
outspoken. She became a stronger person. Joan
had the touch. She could talk to anyone and reach
their heart. She spoke on radio, TV, in front of huge
audiences.
Joan became very active in the cult-awareness movement. She
reached out in any way she could, helping so many people along
the way, speaking at gatherings large and small. The Capellinis
hosted people at their home many times.
Joan was elected president of the local chapter of the original
CAN and served in that capacity from 1979 to 1988. She was
given the Hall of Fame Award on October 22, 1988. Cap says
of her, “She was small in stature but a giant when it came
to informing the world about destructive cults and being
instrumental in saving many from such a disastrous fate.”
Joan Capellini passed away on April 28, 2014. Cap and Joan had
been on a river cruise in Germany when she became ill with
influenza. Taken to a local hospital, she recovered nicely from
that problem but succumbed to a previously undiagnosed faulty
aortic valve. “I’m grateful that she passed away quickly, quietly,
and with no pain,” Cap reflects. Alone in Dresden, not speaking
one word of German, Cap was joined within 2 days by Steve and
later by his daughter Tina.
To honor his wife, Mr. Capellini set up a scholarship fund in
her name. Former cult members are welcome to apply for the
scholarship to help pay for ICSA memberships and registration
fees at ICSA events.
~
We don’t seem to speak as much about the devastating financial
effects of cult involvement, but those effects are devastating. For
so many people, dealing with them can be a lifelong struggle.
There are many stories of people whose financial lives have been
mangled by cult involvement—by donations they gave to the
cult while under undue influence by bad financial decisions they
made relative to taxes, student loans, or other things or simply
by their absorption in cult activities during those years when they
would normally be establishing a career and the financial stability
they could rely on in later life.
Cult involvement can and absolutely does often mean Herculean
struggle after one leaves the group to build some kind of financial
foundation in youth and middle age. In old age, that involvement
can mean impoverishment, which in turn can mean having to
choose between buying medication or buying food. It can mean
the choice to walk 50 blocks to save carfare or to splurge by
taking public transportation. It can mean having to forego social
occasions because you just don’t have the money not buying
a gift for a loved one not having money for a needed pair of
shoes, a coat, and so on. Such choices, lived on a daily basis, with
no reprieve in sight, can be grinding on the soul. They can eat
away at any precious, good feeling you might build up through
concentrated effort. The
constant lack can lead to
a lack of hope. The Joan
Capellini Scholarship Fund
may lessen the financial
burdens some former
members experience by
enabling them to connect
with the ICSA community,
where they can find
understanding and
camaraderie.
~
On May 7, 2018, Cap celebrated his 90th birthday. More than 100
guests and family members, including Michael Langone of ICSA,
helped commemorate the occasion with a party in his honor.
There is something so thrilling about a capable man who is also
responsible and loving: a Hector rather than an Achilles. Robert
Capellini—Cap to everyone who has ever known him —is one of
those. n
Edited by Mary O’Connell
Cap tells it, he was overwhelmed with joy when, on Christmas
Eve, Steve joined him in putting together a bicycle for Steve’s
younger sibling, Jim, peace restored to the family. “That was the
happiest Christmas we’d ever had.”
~
Take one look at the picture of
Joan Capellini’s beautiful face
and you can see, behind the
energy and joy that radiates
there, a deeply felt tranquility.
This is a woman whose life was
built on something solid. Her
face tells the story of a woman
who was well-loved and who
shared that love with the world.
There’s an adage, “If you want
to know a man’s character, look
at his wife’s face.” While it is not politically correct in these days,
it certainly is true that one’s intimates have a great impact. Cap
is effusive in his praise of Joan and freely admits her superior
capability in certain things. When Steve became involved with
the Unification Church, it was a turning point for Joan. Cap puts it
this way:
Out of that bad experience, very good things
happened. Joan, very shy, became extremely
outspoken. She became a stronger person. Joan
had the touch. She could talk to anyone and reach
their heart. She spoke on radio, TV, in front of huge
audiences.
Joan became very active in the cult-awareness movement. She
reached out in any way she could, helping so many people along
the way, speaking at gatherings large and small. The Capellinis
hosted people at their home many times.
Joan was elected president of the local chapter of the original
CAN and served in that capacity from 1979 to 1988. She was
given the Hall of Fame Award on October 22, 1988. Cap says
of her, “She was small in stature but a giant when it came
to informing the world about destructive cults and being
instrumental in saving many from such a disastrous fate.”
Joan Capellini passed away on April 28, 2014. Cap and Joan had
been on a river cruise in Germany when she became ill with
influenza. Taken to a local hospital, she recovered nicely from
that problem but succumbed to a previously undiagnosed faulty
aortic valve. “I’m grateful that she passed away quickly, quietly,
and with no pain,” Cap reflects. Alone in Dresden, not speaking
one word of German, Cap was joined within 2 days by Steve and
later by his daughter Tina.
To honor his wife, Mr. Capellini set up a scholarship fund in
her name. Former cult members are welcome to apply for the
scholarship to help pay for ICSA memberships and registration
fees at ICSA events.
~
We don’t seem to speak as much about the devastating financial
effects of cult involvement, but those effects are devastating. For
so many people, dealing with them can be a lifelong struggle.
There are many stories of people whose financial lives have been
mangled by cult involvement—by donations they gave to the
cult while under undue influence by bad financial decisions they
made relative to taxes, student loans, or other things or simply
by their absorption in cult activities during those years when they
would normally be establishing a career and the financial stability
they could rely on in later life.
Cult involvement can and absolutely does often mean Herculean
struggle after one leaves the group to build some kind of financial
foundation in youth and middle age. In old age, that involvement
can mean impoverishment, which in turn can mean having to
choose between buying medication or buying food. It can mean
the choice to walk 50 blocks to save carfare or to splurge by
taking public transportation. It can mean having to forego social
occasions because you just don’t have the money not buying
a gift for a loved one not having money for a needed pair of
shoes, a coat, and so on. Such choices, lived on a daily basis, with
no reprieve in sight, can be grinding on the soul. They can eat
away at any precious, good feeling you might build up through
concentrated effort. The
constant lack can lead to
a lack of hope. The Joan
Capellini Scholarship Fund
may lessen the financial
burdens some former
members experience by
enabling them to connect
with the ICSA community,
where they can find
understanding and
camaraderie.
~
On May 7, 2018, Cap celebrated his 90th birthday. More than 100
guests and family members, including Michael Langone of ICSA,
helped commemorate the occasion with a party in his honor.
There is something so thrilling about a capable man who is also
responsible and loving: a Hector rather than an Achilles. Robert
Capellini—Cap to everyone who has ever known him —is one of
those. n
