"One cold winter's morning at about 6.30, when I was about 11, I was kneeling in church saying my prayers when I sneezed. They had no rights, were (still are to some degree) exposed to all sorts of abuse of the Catholic hierarchy, who always were their superior and who always has to be present to some degree because women can't do things by themselves in Catholicsm by design. Therefore, trying to live a perfect life is both impossible and unnecessary. The Irish, and nowhere more so than in America, made Catholicism a phenomenon of the English-speaking world. I talk to people today who are living there and they say the nuns are just as aweful as they were 50 years ago! Respectability was everything for a family, no man would want to marry a women who had been with another man sexually not to mind a woman that had had a child with another man. My time there has deeply affected my life. Many of those alleging physical, and to some extent sexual, abuse are now elderly people who say their entire lives have been affected by what they endured as children. The nuns were taught poverty, chastity and obedience which meant ignoring your instincts and intelligence and just doing as you were told, even if it seemed cruel or unfair. Vera lived at the home with her two sisters from the age of six months until she was 17 years old. In some cases the Nuns even used their long heavy-duty wooden rosary beads to beat the slave women or the children. Jealous Nuns could be jealous of the attention that Catholic Mothers get. Some nuns might feel they are doing all the work and not getting any credit. Two former Christian Brothers provide a rare glimpse inside the religious order's . He found refuge in the British army, where . Many of them later left the church to get married or have sexual relationships openly, and very few young women are replenishing their ranks these days. July 2018 Gods people, "get out of her.". No matter what any "spiritual leader" might say. No one would believe how bad it was. Iona Institute Director. Orphans, abandoned babies and children deemed uncontrollable or accused of petty crimes were all put in the hands of the nuns who, to the outside world, epitomised kindness and compassion. Why Are Chihuahuas So Aggressive? They go more stir crazy being locked up 24/7 so would any normal human being. Nuns should strive to serve their Lord and Savior as best they can. We were beaten with big sticks - the bigger the better, she says. The Widow's Pension did not come in til 1934. - tuambabies.org; 3 3.Inside the horrifying, unspoken world of sexually abusive nuns; 4 4.Catholic nuns lift veil on abuse in convents - Reuters; 5 5.Abuse by Women Religious (nuns and sisters) - SNAP; 6 6.I was battered by nuns and raped by priests in same room . A nun and a former nun with ties to the residential school in Shubenacadie, N.S. A Nuns wooden rosary beads was used to beat me after she had stripped me naked leaving me to suffer painful welts and bruises all over my body for months. There was real hate there. Its not easy to always be modest. She stayed in Ireland and had a nervous breakdown over the stress of trying to get us back., Philomena says the abuse started straight away, with constant beatings, almost daily, for something and for nothing.. "The nun got the two of us and brought us out and she put us in with a corpse. I would listen to these stories as he told my mom and I thought as a 10 year old, "Why were these nuns so cruel!" As National Indigenous Peoples Day draws closer and the news that 215 Indian children's graves have been discovered at the Kamloops Indian Reservation School, all those memories of my dad's and mom's stories come back. For the barbarous Nuns who lived there and in other Institutions, they were a great place in which to eat, drink, work and play once you locked the slaves away at night as any competent slave trader and owner would do. German nuns were 'pimps' for sick priests, says sexual abuse victim. It seems logical that a person suffering from not being a part of normal life, ie:love, sex, child birth ect ect.. would harbor lots of ill will twords those who cannot help themselves. Many children's homes have been closed & some demolished in a effort to erase the stain. Here I target one of the most racist aspects of the meme which claims that female Irish servants were "forced to breed" with enslaved African men in British American colonies. Babylon the Great has fallen, and she has become a dwelling place for demons and a place where every unclean spirit and every unclean and hated bird lurks! June 2021 She did eventually trace her but after a few letters her daughter, now 37, said she wasnt ready to meet. well practise what you preach, "He who is without sin." you should know the rest, but then again i'm not to sure you do? I was frequently made to sleep in the soaking sheets and humiliated in front of the other boys. But it was all in the interest of getting you into heaven. Although nuns acting mean is mostly history, the stigma remains in many peoples minds. July 2021 March 2019 "Most of the nuns were Irish and though they were trained to be nuns they were not trained to look after kids, and that is where a lot of the problems were. Flagrant and cruel. Well, I don't think that humans are meant to live without any intimacy; physical or emotional. We found nine reasons that may shock you. It was a very spartan regime. Boston College's O'Neill Library says there's even a word for fear of nuns, and it's scenisciphobia. My child never went to church or catholic upbringing. Police are also investigating after lawyers representing former residents passed on relevant files. (9 Reasons Why), Why Are Netflix Originals So Bad? They were let go home on some weekends and hollidays. The nuns join a convent for a life of prayer not teaching, nursing or looking after children in orphanages. Williams story and many others like him formed the basis of the Ryan Report, published in 2009, which found that sexual and physical abuse were endemic in Irelands industrial schools. Thank you again for your insight. Vicious evil people.. The Nuns must have realised that the exercise of power over others can never be definitive, as to act with their accustomed violence beyond the walls of their institutions was impossible. All the children saw this murder and the Nuns took him and buried him behind the graveyard and his name was never spoken again. Its no wonder nuns can be so cruel. In those days the people were encouraged to bring their children to the mission to be schooled by the church and they children all lived there. BERYL HITCHEN, 55, was dumped on the doorstep of the Nazareth House in Cardiff when she was not quite two years old. Part of being human is being a sexual person humans are attracted to other people, have romantic feelings and sexual urges. At the residential home, he was given two sets of clothes, a number 217 and sent to his dormitory. Some nuns are just following the example set by other nuns. "The gagging order is such an appalling and cruel abuse to all of us survivors who went through the Redress Board," he says. Someone who I know that not all of them are bad nuns, and I don't mean this thread to be disrespect to anyone or even the catholic church. There was a constant atmosphere of fear, and beatings all the time. So far, the Poor Sisters of Nazareth have refused to comment, but it is believed that the allegations will be contested vigorously. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Something was telling me that something bad was going to happen.. In the 1901 and 1911 Census in there were about 100 inmates in the Magdalen Loundry in Galway..about 8 or 9 nuns. My grandmother was 3 years old when she was first brought to the mission. Why are Nuns so mean? Anjez Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, or Mother Teresa as she is now known throughout the world, was one of the most important Catholic Church figures when she was alive and even posthumously. Power incites, induces and seduces especially when used or mixed with fear. VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - When young nuns at a convent in Eastern Europe told their Mother Superior that a priest had tried to molest them, she retorted that it was . "I left when I was 13 with a terrible stammer that I am sure must have been because of living in fear of the nuns. Inside were the bodies of scores of unknown women: the undocumented, uncared-about inmates of one of Ireland's notorious Magdalene laundries. March 2020 Later in life, all the Nuns were exhausted with the monotonous work and the intolerable religious life in the convents attached to the Magdalene Laundries or other institutions to which they were assigned. The stories I have heard just make me cry. March 2018 October 2020 They have that reputation in Ireland & in Europe too because monks & nuns treated children in their care sadistically & priests sexually abused them. He did that to each of us in turn.. Narcissists can use words as bullets, zeroing in on anything they can to unsettle and upset you. More than 400 former residents are planning to sue the order over what they claim was cruel, unnecessary and harmful treatment suffered at the hands of the Sisters. For William, now 54, the trauma of the abuse haunts him in every waking moment. These Irish nuns emmigrated to Australia and brought the Catholic Churches forced adoption practices with them. A recent redress fund, set up by the government to provide financial help for the victims, received 16,500 applications, but William is now fighting to scrap the gagging orders required to receive any money. This can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety, leading to nuns taking their frustration out on others. Yet another was scarred after being scalded by a nun who accused her of not using enough hot water when washing. These emotions can eventually turn into anger and resentment. I believe in God, though". The Magdalene Laundries were a profitable business for the Nuns and the Cult of the Irish Catholic Church. (11 Reasons Why), Why Are Vegans So Entitled? However, she has become as cruel, petty and jealous as the rest of Garradrimna, and connives with the postmistress to sabotage Myles Shannon's chance at romance with an English girl, to get revenge on the Shannon family for rejecting her. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Ya the pope is the boss speaking for god. No goodbyes. It can also lead to nuns lashing out at others due to their discomfort. Nuns could be jealous of the attention that Catholic Mothers get. Which makes you think that older women who were long time inmates were in charge of the day to day running of the Laundry. They would see women who had sex outside marriage as being deviant. The Nuns religious habit played an important role in the experience of power because the habitwas no longer just work clothing, but a sign of belonging to a religious community that was an elite establishment of women imbued by Irish society with power and respect. FOR MORE than 100 years, the Poor Sisters of Nazareth cared for children in the order's dozens of homes across Britain. "I don't think I saw Sister Laurence ever smile. The Residential Institutions Redress Board, set up in 2002, received 16,500 applications for financial compensation - 15,500 of which were successful - and paid out an average of 62,000 (55,000) in sums ranging from 10,000 to 300,000. I was asked to go but I refused, says William. Some of these reasons include the high expectations placed on them, the fact that theyre not allowed to express their feelings, and many of them come from abusive or neglectful families. Read Book A Light In The Window An Irish Christmas Love Story Kindle . Though it was three miles away and there was a school bus, we were only given enough money to make the journey once a day, so depending on the weather we'd take it in the morning or afternoon. I went to a convent and the nuns were from Ireland - I landed one who also beat me and her face whilst hitting me with a ruler on the back of my legs was absolutely horrid. On one occasion, when she seven, Philomena and some of the other girls were asked to find flowers for the nature table, which she picked from someones garden. Born into Catholicism and devout as a child, I witnessed cruelty and abuse by Sisters of IHM. If they see other nuns being cruel, they may think its okay to act the same way. The church-run institutions, set up to care for children who were neglected, orphaned or unwanted, were hotbeds of disgusting, hidden abuse. Priests. Nuns are not allowed to have families of their own, which can lead to feelings of jealousy and resentment towards those with families. Led by Premier Maurice Duplessis, the period was characterized by unprecedented corruption and repression, much of which involved the Catholic Church. But trying to be perfect always is enough to make anyone go a little crazy. That was when her main tormentor at the Nazareth House in Middlesbrough, Sister Laurence, died. I don't think my grandma knew exactly what he was sick with but she told me that the Nuns had NO empathy for a sick child. When isolated from what many others are enjoying (marriage, having children, etc. Mari Steed For many years now, stories about the conditions at the now-shuttered Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Ireland, have circulated among locals. May 2019 The investigation is still active & more depravity is being uncovered. Long heavy-duty wooden rosary beads to beat the slave women or the children lead to nuns lashing out others. In America, made Catholicism a phenomenon of the attention that Catholic Mothers get - the the. 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