Morris Cerullo Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Early life and family== === Early life === Cerullo was born in [[Passaic, New Jersey]], to an Italian father and a Russian Jewish mother.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/06/archives/a-witchmobile-warns-of-the-occult.html|title=A 'Witchmobile' Warns of the Occult|work=The New York Times |date=August 6, 1972|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> His parents died in an automobile accident when he was very young. He was raised in various orphanages, the last being an Orthodox Jewish orphanage in nearby [[Clifton, New Jersey]]. He converted to [[Christianity]] at age 14 with the guidance of a nurse in the Clifton orphanage.<ref name="Pent. Dict.">{{cite book |last=Zeigler |first=James R. |title=The new international dictionary of Pentecostal and charismatic movements |year=2002 |publisher=Zondervan Pub. House |location=Grand Rapids, Mich. |isbn=0310224810 |edition=Rev. and expanded |editor=Stanley M. Burgess |page=472 |chapter=Cerullo, Morris}}</ref><ref name=Independent14>{{cite news |title=Controversial American evangelist Morris Cerullo returns to Britain for one final crusade |first=Paul |last=Gallagher |date=August 1, 2014 |work=Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/controversial-american-evangelist-morris-cerullo-returns-to-britain-for-one-final-crusade-9643696.html |access-date=November 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018113633/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/controversial-american-evangelist-morris-cerullo-returns-to-britain-for-one-final-crusade-9643696.html |archive-date=October 18, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Soon after, Jewish orphanage directors restricted him from practicing certain matters of his new faith, so he ran away from the orphanage. He began preaching the gospel at the age of 16, after claiming to have seen a vision from God, in which he witnessed people suffering torments in Hell.<ref name=Jews4Judaism>{{cite web |title=Morris Cerullo and his ministry to the Jews |work=Jews for Judaism |url=https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/counter-missionary/missionary-groups-tactics-and-responses/morris-cerullo-a-his-ministry-to-the-jews/ |access-date=June 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812131150/http://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/counter-missionary/missionary-groups-tactics-and-responses/morris-cerullo-a-his-ministry-to-the-jews/ |archive-date=August 12, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> He attended and graduated from divinity school in New York state in 1953, and began ministering with the help of his then soon-to-be bride, Theresa. In the early 1950s, he was ordained in the [[Assemblies of God]].<ref name=Express14>{{cite news |title=Preacher Morris Cerullo makes millions from his 'miracles' |first=Danny |last=Buckland |date=July 27, 2014 |work=Express |url=http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/492380/Preacher-making-millions-from-miracles |access-date=June 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813232551/http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/492380/Preacher-making-millions-from-miracles |archive-date=August 13, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Adoption.com>{{cite web |title= Morris Cerullo and Adoption |work= Adoption.com |url= https://adoption.com/wiki/Morris_Cerullo_and_Adoption |access-date= June 28, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160816214948/https://adoption.com/wiki/Morris_Cerullo_and_Adoption |archive-date= August 16, 2016 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name=MGMMinistry>{{cite web |title=Evangelist Morris Cerullo |work=MGM Ministry |url=http://www.mgmministry.org/evang-morris-cerullo/ |access-date=June 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811200335/http://www.mgmministry.org/evang-morris-cerullo/ |archive-date=August 11, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> === Family === The Cerullos are the parents of three children, [[David Cerullo|David]] (b. 1952), Susan (b. 1954) and Mark (b. 1957). At the time of his death, he had 7 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-11|title=World-Renowned Evangelist Morris Cerullo Passes Away at 88|url=https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2020/july/world-renowned-evangelist-morris-cerullo-passes-away-at-88|access-date=2020-11-29|website=CBN News|language=en}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page