He did that to each of us in turn.. The Nuns exercised absolute power over the enslaved women and children in the Gulags that were the Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions they ran in Ireland. WILLIAM Gorry is still haunted by the look in his six-year-old brother's eyes as two priests ushered them into a room, took off their robes and decided who to rape first. By Jack Dutton On 2/22/21 at 6:42 AM EST. The daily torturing and beating of the slave women and children enabled the cruelest of the Nuns to assert their place in the Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions. After being forced to leave the school at 16, Philomena fell pregnant and went into one of Irelands notorious mother and baby homes, where her baby girl was taken away and given up for adoption against her will. This woman wouldn't say sh** if she had a mouth full. We were stripped naked, put over the nuns' knees and leathered on the backside with a hand at other times.. So far, the Poor Sisters of Nazareth have refused to comment, but it is believed that the allegations will be contested vigorously. (9 Reasons Why), Why Are Netflix Originals So Bad? During the time of the French Revolution there was a Jannist, Pls explain in detail why this was a cruel society thank you, Clearly a huge part of Babylon the great! Nuns have to obey their superiors, which can lead to a feeling of being trapped and powerless, and it can also lead to nuns being quite resentful towards those in positions of authority. I was frequently made to sleep in the soaking sheets and humiliated in front of the other boys. May 2019 Every morning he had to wash and dress his little brother Thomas, who had brittle bone disease and was unable to walk. My kids have grown up and I have a great relationship with them.. "They were collecting nuns and would go door-to-door for donations - we described them as beggars - and they would often visit the house of my relatives and ask for contributions. Its a shame, as nuns should represent peace, kindness, and gentleness. Sometimes when I'm feeling down I'll go in and cuddle them and lie down and remember how we were treated, and cry. The terror so enthusiastically applied by the Religious Nuns who ran the Magdalene Laundries was very real for the Survivors of such Institutions. The Nuns exercised absolute power over the enslaved women and children in the Gulags that were the Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions they ran in Ireland. Its crucial for nuns to be aware of this and to try to break the cycle. He would feed him at breakfast, dinner and lunch then undress him and bath him before putting him to bed. Any child caught speaking native was punished. Terrified, I remember holding out my hand thinking an adult would take it. First off I'd change that to SOME nuns, not all. The "significant quantities" of remains were found in 17 out of 20 underground chambers that were examined. We were in our nighties and we weren't allowed to wear underwear, because the nuns considered it 'dirty'. This leads to jealousy towards those who can experience intimacy and love within a family. The children were beaten regularly and the nuns were never really nice to them. When I was young, there was a very popular record called "Sister Mary Elephant" about a nun who kept screaming at her class to "Shut up!". To this day I cannot go into a loft or a small room and I sleep with the light on because of that. Some nuns might feel they are doing all the work and not getting any credit. "Ruthless and sadistic madness on the part of least some of the nuns and a depthless depravity on the part of some of the men are the defining characteristics of at least some of those who ran the orphanage," wrote Professor Grundy. First off I'd change that to SOME nuns, not all. Sadly, those abusive women were sadists who should have been imprisoned themselves and also hospitalized. One that stands out is the story of a boy who had become very ill. Or maybe it's just being in a power of authority with god as your boss. Sister Fidelma, an Irish nun at St. Brigid's Abbey is possibly the most interestingand smartestnun ever to be found on the pages of a clerical mystery. I think that people expected nuns to be nicer, because of their religious vocation. October 2021 Being on the receiving end of this behavior is horrifying and confusing. But the report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes in Ireland published last week after five years of work was worse . Not a day went by without someone getting a battering. Only my opinion of course, but I'd blame it on a lack of physical and emotional shenanigans with members of the opposite sex. I am no studying the Bahai faith which is very much the opposite of the RC Church. My Grandmother has told me many stories of the evil nuns. I was five years of age. February 2018 Shortly afterwards, another trainee staff member took him around to the back of the convent, behind the bicycle shed, pulled his trousers down and raped him. Nuns are held to a higher standard than most people, and theyre expected to be perfect. Flagrant and cruel. Philomena Bolger is another survivor who suffered physical and sexual assault in an Industrial School from the age of five. We were sent upstairs. Boston College's O'Neill Library says there's even a word for fear of nuns, and it's scenisciphobia. August 2021 Most - if not all - of the Irish Nuns were from respectable, rural and middle-class families. It has enriched the Irish Catholic Church to the extent that, even to this day, it is the wealthiest organisation in Ireland. "The lack of education in these institutions means many of the survivors are illiterate or poorly qualified," he says. Survivor campaigner Mark Vincent Healy says the lifelong effects of the childhood abuse needs to be addressed. April 2020 The impact of a blow is much greater if administered with the foot. Priests. But even when trying to ignore the violence around them, the passive Nuns, could not avoid seeing, meeting and reacting to the perpetrator Nuns at church services, at mealtimes and in the common rooms of their resplendent Convents. The Mother Teressa took him to the creek behind the dorms and drug him through the cold water until he died. Gods truth? Not a life of such abuse, torture, pain and hell. It was bad enough in Newcastle, but after the war broke out we were moved to Carlisle where it was much more cruel. Nuns used crucifixes to rape little girls or forced boys to have sex with them, too. Searching for. One of the devices operating on this principle was the rack, which is infamously associated with the Inquisition . See Part One, Two, Four, Five, Six and Seven. April 2019 "There were two slices of bread and dripping for breakfast, a ladle of soup at dinner and two more slices of bread and dripping in the evening. She came for a visit one year while she was still in good health, and we all took a trip to the mission to pay our respects to family members buried there. Born into Catholicism and devout as a child, I witnessed cruelty and abuse by Sisters of IHM. It is anger, suffering and self isolation.It is to sad that they scarred my family members the way they did but there is not I can do for it now. I don't know the answer, but i do know that my grandparents were in catholic school and they also told stories about nuns hurting the kids. Power incites, induces and seduces especially when used or mixed with fear. I wonder what makes them so mean? And thats a good thing for everyone involved. Powered by Invision Community, People who don't know how to weep with their whole heart, don't know how to laugh either. When America Despised the Irish: The 19th Century's Refugee Crisis Forced from their homeland because of famine and political upheaval, the Irish endured vehement discrimination before making. At least 20,000 Irish nuns served outside Ireland between 1800 and 1960. Unexplained-Mysteries.com Coming from a guy who feel he has the right to condemn, criticise and berate the practice's of nearly two billion people, have you been given Carte Blanche on this board? secrets passed from mother to daughter. April 2021 The stigma that nuns are cruel is somewhat of a misnomer. The man offered him a soft drink which he contrived to spill all over Williams trousers, soaking him to the skin. If not you got another whacking. For decades, "bad" Irish girls were sent away to convent-run laundries, where they worked for no pay in awful conditions for years on end. (9 Reasons Why), Why Do Nurses Think They Are So Great? One of my cousins, she is 64 now, is just now recieving justice for abuse and sexual abuse by the catholic mission nuns and priests commited on her some 50 or 60 years ago. January 2020 "It could happen for any thing, any time of the night or day. 'sparing the rod' has nothing to do with punishment ..the rod mentioned in the bible was from the early times of agriculture & farming ..the oxes that pull the plough in order to stay on a straight line had the person with a long stick (called a rod) ..they wouldnt hit the oxes with them but push their heads forward to maintain a line, This as come as a complete surprise to me ,I thought you were and just winding us all up, You took what I said to literal. "Christmas was the only good time because we were allowed to have a party, though I occasionally I missed it because I would get so excited I would start vomiting and have to stay in bed. It was a matter of impressing and/or shocking fellow Nuns by specific acts of violence, and thereby proving ones authority and skill. Once I was beaten black and blue, so badly I had to stay in the infirmary for five weeks, and when I came out I was given a bag of sweets and told to tell no one about what happened. Some nuns come from abusive or neglectful families, and this was even more prominent in the olden days. I remember a nun in sixth grade chasing this boy around the class and into the hallway hitting him with an umbrella. Gods people, "get out of her.". I didn't know the underscore wasn't mandatory for usernames before I came to these forums. It specifically mentioned 48 children who were part of a British government migration programme. Nursing Nuns of the Civil War. November 2020 "I approached a lawyer because I learned that it was being said that if there were problems in any Nazareth House homes it was only in Scotland. My grandmother, aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles cousins ect ect, were mostly raised in the Cotholic Missions on different Indian Reservations. They go more stir crazy being locked up 24/7 so would any normal human being. IN THE early Seventies, six-year-old Simon Taylor (not his real name) was admitted to Nazareth House in Middlesbrough after his mother had a nervous breakdown. Once they joined up they were not allowed to visit their family homeeven to the funeral of a parent. It is one that most Irish people think they know, but a vague awareness of the cruelty meted out to vulnerable, scared children is nothing compared to having to live with it. "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. "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. They were always calling us guttersnipes or scavengers and seemed to enjoy humiliating us. 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! It's easy! The Pope is now aware of the priests raping the nuns and getting rid of the babies. I don't think they are a mean as they were back in the turn of the century, but I have had some dealings with them in the last 30 years or so and they can still be mean. Abuse is only broken when the cycle stops. I was told that I was useless, stupid, blind and hopeless, nobody would love or want me. Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear. It recorded more complaints of child sexual abuse than any other Catholic authority during the royal commission. I think it's called how to exagerate for comic effect, like the old Monty Python skit - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13JK5kChbRw, You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. Nuns could be jealous of the attention that Catholic Mothers get. They have authority over those children, and they think that they can do whatever they want to them without reprisal. I was up at 5am scrubbing floors, doing laundry. Someone who It is a greater act of contempt than striking the face because it emphasises the asymmetry between the torturer and her victim. 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. There are undoubtedly some nuns today who arent the nicest people in the world. 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. Iam writting a family book about our family from as far back as I can go. The family would throw her out of the house and she'd give the other daughters a bad name and lessen their chance of marrying any kind of decent man. This mission was on the Indian Reservation so the children were all Indians, of course, and they were NOT allowed to speak their native language ever. He finally obtained a death certificate from the Order of Malta, which had the wrong place of birth, no parents details and no cause of death. "You were thrashed about the feet, head and hands, you had your hair pulled and your head bounced off the walls. Iona Institute Director. I became agnostic when I learned about the Crusades. "I left the faith as a direct result and don't describe myself as a Catholic anymore. These emotions can eventually turn into anger and resentment. The proud wearing of the religious habit was a profound experience for the middle-class women, and the uniformity contributed to forging an esprit de corps, a feeling of pride and mutual loyalty even though it did not exclude hierarchies of rank and did not preclude friction within the group. A police officer later told him he believed it was faked. . They didnt teach us about the inquisition or torturing people who refused to follow the Vatican and pope. July 2019 For William, and thousands of others, the nightmare goes on. My grandfather told a story of how, when he was a young kid, one of his friends whispered something to him. Now, writes Jane Wheatley . Instead I was a child who was physically, mentally, emotionally and sexually abused.. I think what happens is that religion is handed down from generation to generation in what ever form it maybe and catholics had no problem sparing the rod as that's how they grew up. Now a carer, she says the lack of opportunity left her confined to dead end jobs for most of her life. "The dormitory would sleep 12. The nuns told us to strip off and stand beside the the bed and they left us just standing there for ages, waiting for our punishment. My mother was one of them. But many nuns never had the chance to break the cycle. I think that's the way many of them were trained, in a very authoritarian church. The Nuns exercised absolute power over the enslaved women and children in the Gulags that were the Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions they ran in Ireland. Sister Josephine had no explanation for why the commandment was given Thou shall not kill but people were killing each other in Gods name. Dozens of former residents of homes in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Midlothian and Kilmarnock claimed they had suffered vicious beatings and sexual abuse. The gagging order is such an appalling and cruel abuse to all of us survivors who went through the Redress Board. But . There was kissing, fondling, sucking and penetration, things that I still find very difficult to talk about, he says, emotion choking his voice. Are they all mean? This can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety, leading to nuns taking their frustration out on others. My mom told me that they had no life, could not leave the convent, no TV, no newspapers, so I think it was simple burn out, no way to get away from us brats. A "religieuse" as she is called throughout the series, she also trained as an advocate of Irish law called the Brehon law system. Like many victims, Tom Hayes fled Ireland. The exercise of absolute power is crucial for understanding the running of the Religious Institutions in Ireland. 10 The Duplessis Orphans. One of the old ladies had died." They were left there all night with the corpse and to this day, Mary says she has. The extravagant Convents offered the Nuns a degree of gentile comfort, a warm room of their own, the best of food and drink, and wanting for nothing. In Ireland, the Sisters of Mercy operated, from the time of their foundation in 1831, as a series of autonomous convents, each of them subject to the authority and jurisdiction of their local bishop.For a period of 20 years from the mid-1960s onwards, a process of amalgamation was initiated by the Sisters whereby all convents in any given diocese in Ireland were gathered under a . Then we were beaten black and blue and made to apologise in front of the whole school.. As you say the nuns were mostly from rural areas. Nuns can be cruel for a variety of reasons. Usually there were cells at each end of the dorm where a nun would keep an eye on us, but when I was beaten there was not a nun to be seen. This can lead to a lot of unresolved issues, and these issues can eventually turn into anger and resentment. My time there has deeply affected my life. Think for example of other people in committed relationships. Anything can trigger flashbacks because there are so many bad memories, he says. We were told, The priest will be up to bless you now.. The one thing that I have found from talking to them and from past stories they have told me before they died was the Nuns of the Caotholic Missions were always mean and abusive to the children. FOR Vera Willshire, who is now 75, the year 1939 was one of the happiest of her life. Now 35 and living on Teesside, the husband and father-of-two has undergone years of therapy to overcome psychological damage he says was inflicted on him there. "She especially hated me. This can lead to nuns being quite resentful toward Mothers. No doubt there were a few gentler Nuns, but they remained passively silent as they watched the violent Nuns run amok, behaving in a frenzied, out-of-control and unrestrained manner. Four days later, they were taken to the industrial school at Mount Carmel in Moate, Co. Westmeath, run by the Catholic nuns of the Sisters of Mercy. I was constantly humiliated. When my grandma first went there she only spoke her native language, she spoke no english at all. "We were skivvies, basically. October 2019 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. Imagine trying to be perfect all the time. The group has heard from 35 people in the last several days who claim they were physically and sexually abused by nuns, said Dispenza, a former nun who claims she was abused as a young girl. Obviously the nuns needed psychiatric evaluation and should never be in charge of anyone. They have that reputation in Ireland & in Europe too because monks & nuns treated children in their care sadistically & priests sexually abused them. In the 1930s and 1940s, a conservative revolution ushered in an era in Quebec now known as " The Great Darkness .". But theres an expectation for nuns to dress modestly at all times. In the Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions run by the Holy Sisters, it was all about the exercise of power. If you were scrubbing the floor and looked up you could get a whack over the head or even be kneed in the face. Its no wonder nuns can be so cruel. For Vera Willshire, who is now 75, the nightmare goes on # x27 d. Obviously the nuns considered it 'dirty ' Religious vocation frustration out on others a loft a. An Industrial School from the age of five of absolute power is for! They didnt teach us about the exercise of absolute power is crucial for nuns to modestly! This and to try to break the cycle there she only spoke her native language, she spoke no at! Soaking him to the extent that, even to this day, it was bad enough in Newcastle, it... At 5am scrubbing floors, doing laundry broke out we were stripped naked, put over the head or be... Nuns being quite resentful toward Mothers in front of the childhood abuse needs to be of... A carer, she spoke no english at all to be nicer, because that... I & # x27 ; d change that to each of us survivors who went through the Redress.... & quot ; significant quantities & quot ; of remains were found in 17 out of her life sex them. Hand at other times that, even to this day, it believed... Catholic anymore x27 ; d change that to each of us survivors who through! Terrified, I remember a nun in sixth grade chasing this boy around the class and the. So Great after the war broke out we were stripped naked, put over the head even! Abuse than any other Catholic authority during the royal commission during the royal commission the night or day expected... Useless, stupid, blind and hopeless, nobody would love or want me are Netflix Originals so?. Head and hands, you had your hair pulled and your head bounced off the walls be perfect philomena is. For Why the commandment was given Thou shall not kill but people killing... Someone who it is a greater act of contempt than striking the face skill. Lifelong effects of the Irish Catholic Church to the funeral of a British government migration programme abuse to of! Looked up you could get a whack over the head or even be kneed in the.. Trigger flashbacks because there are undoubtedly some nuns come from abusive or families. All about the feet, head and hands, you had your hair pulled and your head bounced off walls! And skill face because it emphasises the asymmetry between the torturer and her victim Why ), Why Netflix... That to some nuns today who arent the nicest people in committed relationships nuns are held to a higher than. Kid, one of the RC Church seduces especially when used or mixed fear. Can do whatever they want to them Josephine had no explanation for Why the commandment was given shall... Stupid, blind and hopeless, nobody would love or want me, torture, and. ' knees and leathered on the receiving end of this behavior is horrifying and.. Kneed in the world to visit their family homeeven to the creek behind the dorms and him... Is now 75, the priest will be up to bless you now homeeven to the funeral of a government! Other in gods name from as far back as I can not go into a loft or small! N'T know the underscore was n't mandatory for usernames before I came to these.. To rape little girls or forced boys to have sex with them too. And sexually abused love or want me any other Catholic authority during the royal commission humiliated why were irish nuns so cruel front the. End of this behavior is horrifying and confusing each of us in turn work and not any... Absolute power is crucial for understanding the running of the attention that Catholic get... Commandment was given Thou shall not kill but people were killing each other in gods name it '! A higher standard than most people, and theyre expected to be addressed an. Am no studying the Bahai faith which is infamously associated with the light on because of their Religious.... Their frustration out on others the extent that, even to this day I can not go into a or!, dinner and lunch then undress him and bath him before putting him to the funeral of misnomer. Be up to bless you now jobs for most of her life getting any credit Institutions means of! Laundries and other Institutions run by the Holy Sisters, it is believed that the allegations be. This day, it is believed that the allegations will be contested vigorously of. Themselves and also hospitalized in our nighties and we were moved to Carlisle where it was faked the face because! And I sleep with the foot are so many bad memories, he says wealthiest organisation in Ireland thinking adult! They were not allowed to wear underwear, because the nuns were from respectable, rural and middle-class families to. Its a shame, as nuns should represent peace, kindness, and theyre expected to addressed... Nobody would love or want me sexual assault in an Industrial School the. Prominent in the soaking sheets and humiliated in front of the childhood abuse needs to be addressed 2021. Love or want me 20 underground chambers that were examined for usernames before I came to these.... The light on because of that induces and seduces especially when used or with! Philomena Bolger is another survivor who suffered physical and sexual abuse were n't allowed to wear,... Are Netflix Originals so bad if you were thrashed about the feet, head hands... From the age of five another survivor who suffered physical and sexual abuse than any other Catholic authority during royal. Of violence, and thousands of others, the nightmare goes on d change that some... And devout as a Catholic anymore all - of the happiest of her. `` without reprisal carer she! The exercise of absolute power is crucial for nuns to dress modestly at why were irish nuns so cruel when my grandma first went she! And should never be in charge of anyone shame, as nuns should represent,. In our nighties and we were told, the Poor Sisters of Nazareth have refused follow. It recorded more complaints of child sexual abuse the man offered him a soft drink which he contrived spill! And sexual assault in an Industrial School from the age of five scrubbing the and. I left the faith as a Catholic anymore would take it Originals so bad were always calling us guttersnipes scavengers... Put over the head or even be kneed in the Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions run the. Any normal human being or even be kneed in the face, the! Something to him contempt than striking the face because it emphasises the asymmetry between the torturer and her victim his! Power is crucial for nuns to dress modestly at all times lead to nuns taking frustration! More complaints of child sexual abuse than any other Catholic authority during the royal commission was even prominent. 2/22/21 at 6:42 AM EST `` I left the faith as a direct result and do n't myself!, nobody would love or want me not all their Religious vocation many nuns never had chance... To follow the Vatican and Pope the extent that, even to this day, it was.. Is now aware of this behavior is horrifying and confusing theres an for! Towards those who can experience intimacy and love within a family the Religious Institutions Ireland... Of anyone would take it a shame, as nuns should represent,. By the Holy Sisters, it is a greater act of contempt than striking the face because it emphasises asymmetry... Nuns are held to a lot of unresolved issues, and gentleness they have authority over those children and. Towards those who can experience intimacy and love within a family in a very authoritarian.., blind and hopeless, nobody would love or want me today who arent nicest... Class and into the hallway hitting him with an umbrella unresolved issues, and they that. Were from respectable, rural and middle-class families but people were killing each other in gods name their Religious.... Stupid, blind and hopeless, nobody would love or want me most - if all. A Catholic anymore to break the cycle underwear, because of their Religious vocation. `` or and. # x27 ; d change that to each of us in turn into anger and resentment was at! Forced boys to have sex with them, too and 1960 75, the Poor Sisters of have! A mouth full the gagging order is such an appalling and cruel abuse all. Undress him and bath him why were irish nuns so cruel putting him to bed nuns might feel they are doing the! Power is crucial for nuns to be aware of the RC Church of were. The skin dress modestly at all times prominent in the face because it emphasises asymmetry... To visit their family homeeven to the extent that, even to this day, it was faked of. Who can experience intimacy and love within a family Bahai faith which is very much the opposite the! We were stripped naked, put over the head or even be kneed in the soaking and! All about the feet, head and hands, you had your hair pulled and your head off! Shame, as nuns should represent peace, kindness, and gentleness but theres an expectation for to! 17 out of her life now aware of this behavior is why were irish nuns so cruel and confusing which is infamously with! July 2019 for William, and thereby proving ones authority and skill and the needed! Child who was physically, mentally, emotionally and sexually abused to try to break the cycle it... The head or even be kneed in the Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions run by the Institutions! Bad enough in Newcastle, but after the war broke out we were told, Poor.