Dr. Morris Cerullo
(October 2, 1931 – July 10, 2020)
The Jewish Orphan Who Became God’s Apostle to the Nations
Dr. Morris Cerullo
(October 2, 1931 – July 10, 2020)
The Jewish Orphan Who Became God’s Apostle to the Nations
Dr. Morris Cerullo founded Morris Cerullo World Evangelism in 1961, and served as the President of the ministry until he went to be with the Lord in 2020. Morris Cerullo, or Papa as he was affectionately called by his many spiritual sons and daughters, lived a life completely dedicated to bring hope, healing, and salvation to a hurting world. Emboldened by the power of the Holy Spirit, he repeatedly brought the salvation message to more than 130 nations throughout his nearly seven decades in the ministry.
Untold millions on 7 continents, in 93 nations, and over 400 cities have heard the Good News through Morris Cerullo.
Dr. Morris Cerullo spent his youth in a Jewish Orthodox orphanage in New Jersey, until he received salvation at the age of 14. After experiencing that life-changing event, he spent the next several years preaching four times a week at local churches.
In 1955, God began to direct Morris’s attention to the nations. This started when he received a desperate letter asking him to minister in Athens, Greece. By then, Morris and Theresa were married with two children. They were saving to buy their first home. The plane ticket to Greece cost $865.50, but God amazingly provided the funds—down to the penny!—through a woman who had been healed in one of Brother Cerullo’s services!
God began to move in that first overseas meeting in Greece. Revival broke out. Lives were changed. Sick people were healed. However, the money ran out. Morris didn’t want to leave during the middle of such an explosion of miracles, but in order to continue renting the auditorium, more funds would be needed. Morris called Theresa about the problem. Together, they agreed to use the money that they had been saving for the down payment on their dream home (which they had already picked out) to extending the Greece miracle crusade and advancing the Kingdom of God.
During Morris’s nearly seventy years in the ministry, his spirit was unwavering in devotion and obedience to the call of God upon his life. Commissioned by the Father to build Him an army, Morris made it his life’s goal and priority to build that army by traveling more than 250,000 miles every year to train believers of multiple ethnicities, languages, and nations to work the works of God.
As the global outreaches grew, Morris remembered his Jewish roots. Having been born to an Italian father and a Russian Jewish Orthodox mother, he always carried a passion for Israel with him. In 1967, God spoke to Morris, “Son, now is the time to turn your eyes to the Middle East, and begin to work for My people, Israel.” This was the beginning of his lifelong effort to reach the people of the Holy Land for their Messiah, Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus, the Christ, the Anointed One.
Over the years, Morris Cerullo World Evangelism has provided aid to Ethiopia, medical assistance in East Africa, and helped to build multiple orphanages in Mexico. Morris and Theresa partnered with pastors Tommy and Matthew Barnett to build one floor of the Los Angeles Dream Center, in Los Angeles, California. This floor houses two hundred women to help them to escape a life of drug addiction, human trafficking, and prostitution.
In 2020, the Cerullo’s opened The Legacy International Center It is an 18-acre complex that houses biblically themed attractions, spiritually educational opportunities, a resort hotel and spa, tranquil gardens, and quality restaurants. Located in the heart of San Diego’s Mission Valley, the Legacy International Center was created to train those who wish to deepen their knowledge of biblical truths and discover or deepen their relationship with Christ. It is a serene, Christ-centered haven of rest, where people from around the world may come to decompress from the stresses and burdens of life and renew and refresh their spirit, soul, mind, and body.
Morris met his beloved wife Theresa at the Bible college they both attended. Their friendship grew into a lifelong partnership that continues to impact the world. Morris acknowledged, on many occasions, that the reason he was able to accomplish so much for God was his God-ordained union with Theresa. Their marriage, and their very lives, were always on the altar before God.
