A History of the Unification Church in Canada: 1965-1991

by Franco Famularo

Chapter Four - Robert Duffy's First Term [Part 4]

Initial Restructuring -- New Hope for a New Canada Tour and the Yankee Stadium Campaign --The Washington Monument Campaign and Rev. Moon's Visit -- Ideological Work -- Final months of Duffy's first term

E. Final months of Duffy's first term

On the surface it appeared that the Canadian Unification movement was reaching new heights. Since Duffy had become national leader in November 1974 activities had been hectic. Membership had doubled, speaking tours had been conducted and an anti-communist wing of the movement had by then been effectively launched. By spring 1977, however, Duffy was becoming increasingly withdrawn as Sung San Lee and Alan Wilding forged ahead with anti-communist activities and Terry Brabazon took charge of spiritual and outreach activities.

In late February 1977, shortly after the Rally for World Freedom, Duffy attended a leaders' meeting in New York where he reported about Canada's recent successes. There he was asked to send ten percent of the Canadian membership to Europe. Accordingly, Alan Thibideau, John Bellavance, Pierre Kohler and Franco Famularo were asked to join the European One World Crusade in Germany. They departed in early April.

In early March it was decided that a three-city tour of Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto be conducted. Most of the membership was mobilized to do outreach activities for ten days in each city concluding with a speech for the general public and invitations to workshops. The main purpose as usual was to gain membership but, interestingly, unlike the previous three city tour, Duffy did not speak; Terry Brabazon did. Meetings were held on March 18 at the University of Ottawa for fifty people, at Place Bonaventure in Montreal on April 8 for sixty people, and finally at the Westbury Hotel in Toronto on April 29 for fifty people.

During the Ottawa campaign, on March 20, 1977, David S.C. Kim, then president of the Unification Theological Seminary visited Toronto and presided over a meeting where all Canadian members participated. At this meeting Duffy's role as leader was discussed. Sensing the friction present among the leading members of the church, David Kim referred to the New Testament letter of James and advised the elders of the church to "confess their sins to one another and pray for one another, that they may be healed."86 The meeting was a significant turning point for the church at the time.

It was common knowledge in the Canadian Unification Church that several members, including Sung San Lee and Terry Brabazon had written to Rev. Moon and Mr. David Kim concerning Duffy's leadership. According to Brabazon he wrote to David Kim because he thought Duffy needed help:

I thought he needed help with this task. This guy was in trouble but I never thought that he should be changed. I thought David Kim would take him aside and give him some spiritual counsel.87

Whatever the intentions of Lee, Brabazon and others who wrote, it was not long before Duffy's term as leader came to an end. At a meeting on May 15, 1977, Duffy was transferred to Ireland where he served as national leader until early 1983. At the same meeting Martin Porter, the former national leader of the Unification Church of Italy, was appointed to be responsible for the mission in Canada.

Notes

1. Interview with Robert Duffy. January 17, 1994.

2. Ibid.

3. Chronology. December 1974.

4. Membership List of Unification Church of Canada - December 31, 1974.

Active Members

1) Robert Duffy
2) Alan Wilding
3) Sung San Lee
4) Choon Keun Chang
5) Jim Buchanan
6) Wayne Lamond
7) Bruce Casino
8) Jorg Heller
9) David Decker
10) Jack Simmons
11) Russell Anderson
12) Regan Sano
13) Jacques Blain
14) Paul Resnyak
15) Richard Gallant
16) Peter Peneu
17) Marvi Ranniste
18) Anne Ranniste
19) Sheila Cummings
20) Monique Fuochi
21) Mubina Jaffer
22) Anita Mukerjee
23) Kaziyo Iwaki
24) Kayoko Hayakashi
25) Won Chil Chang
26) Soon Up Lee

Associate Members

1) Gilbert Boyce
2) Ranhee Boyce
3) Mr. Ranniste
4) Mrs. Ranniste
5) Mrs. Duffy
6) Mrs. Wilding
7) Mrs. Bell
8) Matthew Smith
9) Janet Luv
10) Richard Duffy
11) Alan Hagopian
12) Michael Crane

5. Chronology. 1975.

6. Day of Hope in Review: Part 2, 1974-1975. I.O.W.C. Tarrytown, New York. p. 762. (List of participants in Blessing of 1800 Couples.)

7. "Moon Shines over Mysterious Meeting of the Minds." The Montreal Star. Tuesday, December 17, 1974.

8. McGill Reporter. December 11, 1974. Volume 7. No. 13.

9. See for example the Ottawa Journal and the Toronto Sun for February 10, 1975.

10. Tom Harpur. "Moon: The Newest Religious Cult Star." Toronto Star. March 8, 1975. p. B8. (The article included a photo of Reverend Moon and a caption which read: "His fast growing Church of the Unification is described as the hottest item on the religious cult scene,")

11. Ibid.

12. Alan Wilding. Diary.

13. Alan Wilding. "350 Mile Hike For Unity." Way of the World. May 1975. p. 80-81.

14. Ibid.

15. Alan Wilding. Diary.

16. C.A.R.P. pamphlet. 1975.

17. Chronology.

18. Interview with Stoyan Tadin. February 25, 1994.

19. Ibid.

20. In early July 1975 front page articles appeared in Toronto newspapers such as the Globe and Mail about the dissemination of pornographic literature and the increase of body rub shops in downtown Toronto.

21. Interview with John Bellavance. February 8, 1994.

22. Ibid.

23. Toronto Center Guest Book. 1975.

24. Unification Church Pamphlet. The New Hope Festival. 7:00pm, December 11th, 1975.

25. Interview with Robert Duffy. February 8, 1994.

26. Interview with Terry Brabazon. February 18, 1994.

27. Interview with Robert Duffy. February 8, 1994.

28. The program for the inaugural meeting of International Family Association (IFA) in January 1976 in Toronto stated the following:

The IFA is a non-profit, non-denominational association founded to bring families of all peoples together in social activity, and to assist families to be more whole, and to relate to other families in Canada and world-wide, such that true brotherhood may be experienced within the family.
The IFA was formed by parents concerned with the overwhelming decline in moral values throughout the world.
IFA activities include: fellowship, singing, parties, tours, camping excursions, and just plain fun. Common themes and problems are explored in seminars and discussion groups and film, and speakers are invited to address us. We also maintain our own counselling service.
We sponsor meetings of families between nations and we have an annual convention. Among our finest programs is our cultural exchange program.

29. Chronology. 1976.

30. San Hun Lee. Communism: A Critique and Counter-proposal. Washington D.C. Freedom Leadership Foundation. 1973.

31. Unification Church Pamphlet. "Bicentennial God Bless America Festival." Yankee Stadium June 1st 7:00 p.m. Reverend Sun Myung Moon - Principal Speaker.

32. Day of Hope in Review. Part III. 1976-1981. Volume 1. Tarrytown, New York: IOWC. 1981. p. 527.

33. Franco Famularo. Diary.

34. Sun Myung Moon. "The New Cosmic Spring Will Prosper Eternally." April 18, 1976. God's Will and the World. New York: HSA-UWC. p. 328.

35. Franco Famularo. Diary.

36. Program for "New Hope Banquet 1976." Renaissance Room. Chateau Laurier Hotel. Ottawa, Canada. April 23, 1976.

37. "God's Hope for Canada." Excerpt from Robert Duffy's speech during New Hope for a New Canada campaign as found on Unification Church pamphlet.

38. Unification Church leaflet. "New Hope for a New Canada." "Nouvel Espoir pour un Nouveau Canada." Saturday, May 8th 1976. McGill University Charles Martin Theatre, McIntyre Medical Building.

39. Barry Stanton. "Mefiez vous de ce Prophete La." Chatelaine. Octobre 1976. pp.46-47 & pp. 104-111.

(Stanton explained in his article entitled "Beware of that prophet" how he, just like many others, had met Unification Church members on Rue Ste. Catherine. He attended a lecture in the Montreal center on Rue Jeanne Mance and listened to a lecture. From there he attended the public speech at McGill University and then attended the one day seminar in the center. He explains his impression of the seminar, referring to Unificationists as "Lunatics" and includes a large portion of uncomplimentary comments found in the New York Times (May 25, 1976), UPI and New York Times Magazine (May 30, 1976). The article warned that just as in Europe and the United States the "Moonies" were taking root in Montreal.

40. Franco Famularo. Diary.

41. Talk given by Alan Wilding. May 20, 1976 as recorded in author's notes.

42. Ibid.

43. Interview with Alan Wilding and Robert Duffy. September, 1986.

44. The Montreal Star. Friday May 28, 1976. Advertisement. p. A 4.

45. Barbara Ross. "40,000 Attend Unification Rally" Daily News. (Tarrytown & Irvington N.Y.) June 2, 1976. (According to Ross's article "There were for example...10 buses from Toronto, Canada." The Unification Church Publication New Hope News states: "A variety of people attended Yankee Stadium. The Unification Church of Canada brought over 800 people by bus, including a Canadian television network. "Yankee Stadium - A Remembrance" New Hope News June 18, 1976. p. 6. On the other hand John Marshall of Canada's daily Globe and Mail reported that 1,000 people attended the festival. John Marshall. "Pilgrims return Unconverted." Globe and Mail. June 3, 1976. p. 3.

46. Day of Hope in Review. Part III. 1976-1981. Vol. 1. Tarrytown, New.York: I.O.W.C. 1981.

47. Arnie Hakala. "Smokebombs, boos and ballyhoo hail 'messiah' in New York. Toronto Star. June 2, 1976. p. A12.

48. "Yankee Stadium." and "Victory in 1976." Unification Church Films produced by New Future Films. New York. 1976 & 1977.

49. Interview with Mubina Jaffer. June, 1976.

50. John Marshall. "Pilgrims return Unconverted." Globe and Mail. June 3, 1976. p. 3. (The article under photo of posters spread throughout Toronto carried the caption. "The invitation was clear, pasted on hoardings in Toronto, and the curious, as well as the followers, responded.")

51. Interview with Robert Duffy. February 8,1994.

52. Globe and Mail. June 3, 1976.

53. Interview with Robert Duffy. February 8, 1994.

54. Ibid.

55. Divine Principle. New York: HSA-UWC. 1973, 1977. pp. 52-54

56. Sun Myung Moon. "Today in the Light of Dispensational History." February 23, 1977. God's Will and the World. New York: HSA-UWC. 1985. p. 339.

57. Sun Myung Moon. "True Parents' Day from the Historical Point of View." God's Will and the World. April 18, 1977. p. 375-376.

58. Interview with Robert Duffy. January 17, 1994.

59. New Hope News. October 21, 1976. p. 3.

60. Franco Famularo. Diary.

61. "Washington Monument". Film produced by New Future Films. New York: 1976.

62. Sun Myung Moon. Untitled Speech. September 20, 1976. New York: HSA-UWC.

63. "Aftermath of Washington Monument - Father emphasizes Evangelism." New Hope News. October 21, 1976. p. 2.

64. Interview with Sung San Lee. January 26, 1994. (Lee was the only member from the Canadian Unification Church who traveled with Reverend Moon to the East Coast at the time. Unfortunately he did not have any recollection of the precise dates of the visit but remembers it was very soon after the Washington Monument Festival and lasted for a period of three to five days. The visit must have taken place some time between September 21 to September 30, 1976. According to Alan Wilding who met Reverend Moon at the Montreal airport it was probably between September 27-30. At this writing no other Canadian member had any written record of Reverend Moon's visit.)

65. Sun Myung Moon. "Past and Future Generations." August 1, 1976. God's Will and the Ocean. New York: HSA-UWC. 1987. p. 302.

66. Interview with Sung San Lee. January 26, 1994.

67. Audio tape transcript of informal conversation over dinner on June 25, 1987 at Clearstone Lodge, Canada. (Present were Reverend Moon, Peter Kim, Paul Werner, Robert Duffy, Steve Barton, and Franco Famularo. Reverend Moon mentioned that he remembered eating lobster in Nova Scotia and that it was very delicious.) Interview with Sung San Lee. January 26, 1994.

68. Personal notes of testimony of Reverend Sang Sun Lee given October 7, 1976 in Toronto, Canada.

69. Interview with Alan Wilding. September, 1986.

70. Moon, Sun Myung. Perfection and Gratitude. October 3, 1976. HSA-UWC. New York. pp. 10-11.

(Also see God of Lamentation. October 21, 1979. pp 4-5. Reverend Moon commented as follows: "When I first came to this country I had to stop in Canada. At that time I didn't even have a visa and there was no guarantee whether I could enter this country. But still I told the Canadian family, "You'll see. In the next 3 years America will tremble, and every corner of the American land will hear my name. I'll speak to everyone and I shall stir up controversy for God." And everyone said, "We thought Father was reasonable, but he is crazy!" No one in the Canadian family believed me. Some months [time] ago I went to Nova Scotia for a fishing expedition, and the Canadian family joined me there. One of them had heard me in 1971 and he said, "Father, I confess. Please forgive me. I didn't believe what you said has been fulfilled. I will trust now." That person repented because what he heard at that time sounded impossible and he didn't think that would happen. When he asked what I would do in the next 3 years, I replied, "Use your imagination now. I don't have to tell you.")

71. Interview with Alan Wilding. September, 1986.

72. Interview with Robert Duffy. January 17, 1994.

73. Young Oon Kim. Unification Theology and Christian Thought. New York: Golden Gate. First Edition 1975. Revised Edition 1976. (See also U.T.S. Calendar, News and Announcements for October 25-31, 1976)

74. Interview with John Bellavance. February 8, 1994.

75. Le Journal de l'Unification. Numero 1. Quebec. le 8 novembre 1976. p. 1. First issue of French magazine of the Unification Church in Quebec. The author was Jacques Blain. (translation my own).

76. Ibid.

77. Ibid. Mars 1977. (March 1977.)

78. Moon, Sun Myung. American and God's Will. September 18, 1976. "Today America is plagued with problems: racism, juvenile delinquency, and immorality. Christianity is declining. Communism is rising. The menace of Communism is everywhere. Of all these problems, atheistic Communism is the worst. It is not just America's problem; it is the problem of free men everywhere; it is problem of all religious people; it is the problem of God, Himself."

Also see A Needed Man. July 16, 1975. p. 4. Reverend Moon said: "I named two things God would have us do. First, to revive the Christian churches to their original position, and secondly to prevent a Communist invasion. I must add one more thing: the corruption of youth must also be corrected."

79. Glos Polski 3 Lutego (February) 1977. Toronto. p. 5. (Advertisements also appeared in Korean, Chinese, German, Hungarian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Rumanian, Ukranian, Czeckoslovak, Italian and Portuguese newspapers in Toronto.)

80. Petro B.T. Bilaniuk. "Christianity and the Communist Threat." Speech delivered at International Rally for World Freedom. February 5, 1977.

81. Chronology. 1977.

82. Form invitation letter from Committee for the International Rally for World Freedom. January 1977. (It was further stated on each pamphlet that the aims and objectives of the rally were as follows:

1) To support the founding principles of our freedom as expressed in the "Canadian Bill of Rights", they being the principles that: - acknowledge the supremacy of God; the dignity and worth of the human person; the importance of the family in a society of free men and institutions.
2) To inspire and motivate all men and women to take personal and collective responsibility to protect freedom and ensure such to all enslaved peoples.
3) To foster the spirit of a constructive and unified effort for world freedom founded on respect for moral and spiritual values.
(Pamphlet advertising International Rally for World Freedom. February 5, 1977. Committee for the International Rally for World Freedom. Toronto.)

83. Open Letter to Communist World Leaders. From Committee for the International Rally for World Freedom. Toronto. February 5, 1977. Signed by Robert Duffy, Alan Wilding, James Buchanan, John Potjewyd and Anne Ranniste.

84. Interview with Robert Duffy. January 17, 1994.

85. Josh Freed. Moonwebs: Journey into the Mind of a Cult. Toronto: Dorset Publishing. 1980. pp. 213-214.

86. Franco Famularo. Diary.

87. Interview with Terry Brabazon. February 18, 1994.

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