why were irish nuns so cruel

They were like prison officers. I was asked to go but I refused, says William. The piece was based on hundreds of stories she heard from nuns. Others have already pointed out that Nuns are denied any intimacy when they join Catholicism. In high school I realized that what we were taught about loving one another was just words. That is why I want to take them to court.". Sadly, those abusive women were sadists who should have been imprisoned themselves and also hospitalized. You must remember that Catholic Ireland believed that the Religious-run Institutions were legitimate and acceptable places in which to put unmarried women and their children who were judged as being anti-social and ungodly. Background. They are not interested in children which was obvious at Tuam .Orphanage, in Ireland plus others.. Today it is different, but I believe the stories I have been told. Yes, these sisters know there were cruel women among them and they live that sense of betrayal very painfully. She was told to go away, that we were wards of court, even though that wasnt true. August 2018 Instead I was a child who was physically, mentally, emotionally and sexually abused.. The slave trade they operated included the illegal selling of the children of the enslaved women. At least 20,000 Irish nuns served outside Ireland between 1800 and 1960. April 2019 There are a lot of expectations and rules that they have to follow, leading to stress and anxiety, which in turn leads to nuns being cruel to others. He did that to each of us in turn.. October 2019 Celibacy is NOT normal for humans. Rocketgirl33, I think my time there has left deep scars. It is also true that in the Free State times families could have taken their daughters home at any stageWe had a Constitution which obliges due process before incarceration. It took maybe a week or two to metamorphose the awkward, timid, novice Nuns into the new, confident and vicious Nuns so demonstrably capable of using verbal and physical violence on their captive slave women and their children illegally detained in the religious prisons known as the Magdalene Laundries and other institutions. My mother entered. The details of the patterns were kept so secret, in fact, that many of them were lost as the families either died or fled the poverty for other lands. What gives? Archaic teaching methods are now seen as barbaric. Golda Meir, One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain. First off I'd change that to SOME nuns, not all. There are times when its hot outside, and the last thing you want to do is dress in heavy clothing. Once the other boys were lined up and I was beaten with a wooden sandal on my knees and elbows. A few Nuns kicked women and children down the stairs and then took the opportunity to kick them as they lay injured or struggling to stand or crawl away. I spent a lot of time scrubbing floors or cleaning shoes. 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. Are just some of them mean? Some 216,000 children - mostly boys - have been sexually abused by clergy in the French Catholic Church since 1950, a damning new inquiry has found. Two years ago, he began searching for the death certificate and found there were no records of Thomass death at the funeral home, the airline or the French registry. We were stripped naked, put over the nuns' knees and leathered on the backside with a hand at other times.. This is true of Jewish women who were in charge of the different units in Concentration also true of the German women who worked in these camps. Read Book A Light In The Window An Irish Christmas Love Story Kindle . Before pushing me in the nuns told me there was a mouse in there and I went totally hysterical. "Bedwetting was about the worst thing you could do. Yet, even now, I continue to read horrible things about the church and popes. For the enslaved women and children, the Magdalene Laundries were places of constant suffering and death through hunger, brutal violence, epidemics and systematic mass-murder. Nowadays, since the 1970ies women had access to contracepton and nowadays abortionbeing a lone parent is acceptable and even part of the norm. 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. The Irish Brigade fought in most battles during the War of Spanish Succession, including the Battle of Ramillies in Central Belgium on May 23, 1706. But the nun wasn't looking for someone to help her. 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. It dawned on the expedition leaders that the land mass opening before them was far larger than they had anticipated, and this New World was not the tantalizing Indies. A nun all of a sudden picked the kid up, carried him to the door, then slammed the door into his head. But the fact remains, why were nuns so cruel? In my school the nuns, well a few of them were mean. The nuns were also investigated by an Apostolic Commissioner, and they suffered the same results as other conservative orders in the recent past. We were innocent children taken from our mother for no reason, says Philomena. January 22, 2011 in Spirituality, Religion and Beliefs. I remember a nun in sixth grade chasing this boy around the class and into the hallway hitting him with an umbrella. Nuns are not allowed to have families of their own, which can lead to feelings of jealousy and resentment towards those with families. 1 1.Why do Catholic nuns have a reputation for being cruel and abusive ; 2 2.Why were Irish Nuns so Cruel? I managed to buy my own house and pay the mortgage off. To hide injuries from visitors, children were shut into a "black hole" without bedding, ventilation or light. Vicious evil people.. It's easy! We could see each others suffering and pain, while they took turns to abuse both of us a few times over the weekend.. 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. Now, writes Jane Wheatley . Nuns Break COVID Rules to Attend Exorcism. Or maybe it's just being in a power of authority with god as your boss. The Magdalene Laundries in Ireland, also known as Magdalene asylums, were institutions usually run by Roman Catholic orders, which operated from the 18th to the late 20th centuries. Nun abuse is that other dirty little secret of the Catholic Churchand it's a secret that affected, and crushed, the spirits of scores of young women. My aunt said I never stammered before I went there. "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. 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 time with these Nuns was horrendous. This expectation can be quite a burden and lead to nuns being critical of others. 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. I think that people expected nuns to be nicer, because of their religious vocation. The exercise of absolute power is crucial for understanding the running of the Religious Institutions in Ireland. 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. Narcissists can use words as bullets, zeroing in on anything they can to unsettle and upset you. Revelation 18:2-42-"She has fallen! 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. We were sent upstairs. Many Nuns pretended not to see or hear what was going on around them, but instead were passive, taking refuge in their work and silent prayers. "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. Nuns can be cruel for a variety of reasons. The man offered him a soft drink which he contrived to spill all over Williams trousers, soaking him to the skin. I was constantly humiliated.. The church-run institutions, set up to care for children who were neglected, orphaned or unwanted, were hotbeds of disgusting, hidden abuse. She was tied to a chair and beaten for weeks until she started to learn english. They would see women who had sex outside marriage as being deviant. A passive Nun permitted and regulated the actions of the violent ones. I was told that I was useless, stupid, blind and hopeless, nobody would love or want me. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. The family book I am writting has so many of these stories in it I almost hate to put them in there. He told me to take my clothes off and he would wash me down and then he started fondling me, before masturbating me, says William. Not once did the nuns ask why I was off school or what was wrong with me. ), it wouldn't be hard to, Couple a sadistic personality and a whole lot of pent up sexual frustration.yeah anybody would go psycho. Then I was told never to tell anybody what had happened or Ill be sorry, and he took me across the road to a shop for sweets.. My child never went to church or catholic upbringing. 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People considered the. August 2021 Abuse is only broken when the cycle stops. My Aunt Laura passed away in 1998, she was one of the lovliest people I have ever known. 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. Only my opinion of course, but I'd blame it on a lack of physical and emotional shenanigans with members of the opposite sex. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. 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. They did so because they wanted to jealously safeguard the gold standard for all children, a stable home run by their mothers and fathers. Survivor campaigner Mark Vincent Healy says the lifelong effects of the childhood abuse needs to be addressed. Not a day went by without someone getting a battering. ", News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Nuns indeed put in a lot of hard work. Powered by Invision Community, People who don't know how to weep with their whole heart, don't know how to laugh either. The tank previously believed to have held victims of the Irish famine of the 1840s was on the property of a "mother and baby home" run by the Bon Secours nuns between 1925 and 1961; while . 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. This can lead to nuns being quite resentful toward Mothers. In May 1983, 12-year-old Thomas was taken to Lourdes, by the local charity the Order of Malta, who frequently arranged trips for disabled children. The act of forgiveness is powerful. "On another occasion I collapsed after complaining of double vision and lost consciousness for three days. The first stage of this cruelty was the men who walked away and left the women to be outcasts of society. June 2019 Violence was frequently employed and encouraged with the most common forms being verbal abuse, slaps, blows, and kicks. "I remember being told repeatedly by the nuns that I had been put there because I was naughty and because my family did not want me. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Priests. "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. At the residential home, he was given two sets of clothes, a number 217 and sent to his dormitory. Wicked City . But thats human nature. March 2021 September 2019 This can lead to them being quite cruel to others, especially those weaker than them. Its not easy to always obey those in authority, and many nuns who cant obey suffer from stress and anxiety, leading to nuns lashing out at others in positions of power. 4-And I heard another voice out of Heaven say: "Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins, and if you do not want to receive part of her plagues." It has enriched the Irish Catholic Church to the extent that, even to this day, it is the wealthiest organisation in Ireland. October 2021 Today I have all the soft cuddly toys I want, a room full of them. But, back in the day, this is how nuns were taught, and its no wonder they turned out to be so cruel. Why are Nuns so mean? . Sign up for a new account in our community. May 2020 I was made to kneel on one of the blocks in front of the bath while she belted the soles of my feet 20 times with a wooden hairbrush, saying 'Spit in church, would you?' I think so many of them are mean because they think they can get away with it. It was a poor but loving home, but in 1975, Williams world was turned upside down when Catherine buckled under the strain and left. Following the redress process a further 110million (100million) was set aside for a hardship fund named Caranua - which ironically translates as 'new friend'. The religious habit was a distinctive set of clothing worn by members of a religious Order with the style and colour differentiating each Order. The slaves of Magdalene. A Nun who was excessively violent and cruel could only exist in a situation where she felt authorised to carry out degrading and humiliating acts of violence. Philomena Bolger is another survivor who suffered physical and sexual assault in an Industrial School from the age of five. The stigma that nuns are cruel is somewhat of a misnomer. This vow means they will not have sex or engage in sexual activity, leading to frustration and feeling trapped. Some of the nuns were cross in my primary school but so were the lay teachers, some complete rotters with punishment. (9 Reasons Why), Why Are Netflix Originals So Bad? July 2019 He found refuge in the British army, where . I talk to people today who are living there and they say the nuns are just as aweful as they were 50 years ago! The nuns were terrible.". Thank you again for your insight. Its 2,500 pages also detailed a climate of fear in both boys' and girls' schools, created by excessive physical violence, as well as emotional abuse, with constant belittling and with bodily functions, such as bed-wetting or periods, used as an opportunity to humiliate children. Claims of abuse have been made about homes run by the order in places including Newcastle upon Tyne, Plymouth, Swansea, Manchester and Sunderland. Its no wonder nuns can be so cruel. Professor Grundy reserved his most scathing words for the police forces and bureaucrats, who he said may have known what was going on but did nothing to stop it. Its not easy to live up to such high standards. 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. There was nothing unusual about it. Some nuns are just following the example set by other nuns. Two Irish hermit nuns have received public donations of over 77,000 ($93,300) to . The whole idea was for those women to do penance for their sins. 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. Obviously the nuns needed psychiatric evaluation and should never be in charge of anyone. Never has been and never will be. Total hypocrisy with no explanation. You cannot become a nun if you have been previously married. It was bad enough in Newcastle, but after the war broke out we were moved to Carlisle where it was much more cruel. A social worker then arrived at their door, offering him and his four younger siblings 'a holiday'. The only subject of conversation was who was for it next. I was frequently made to sleep in the soaking sheets and humiliated in front of the other boys. Nuns are no different; however, we choose not to act upon these natural, sexual feelings and urges. I have cried so much wondering what happened to my loving brother. By Jack Dutton On 2/22/21 at 6:42 AM EST. After all, we all have our own crosses to bear. 1. "Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst." The Mother Teressa took him to the creek behind the dorms and drug him through the cold water until he died. 10 The Duplessis Orphans. Gods people, "get out of her.". Philomenas mother, who died at 74, kept in touch with all her children throughout their times at the schools and enjoyed a good relationship with them as adults. At night, they were abused by visiting priests who came to the girls dorm. 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. Terrified, I remember holding out my hand thinking an adult would take it. So nuns did their best to keep you from committing a mortal sin and their way of doing that was to enforce a sort of discipline by various means of which some were mean like hitting your knuckels with a ruler. Although nuns acting mean is mostly history, the stigma remains in many peoples minds. 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. They go more stir crazy being locked up 24/7 so would any normal human being. At Christmas there was jam. I have seen programs about nuns and most of those show a wonderfull helpful loving nun who just loves the whole world. August 2020 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. Police are also investigating after lawyers representing former residents passed on relevant files. Nuns should strive to serve their Lord and Savior as best they can. In the words of one man who had been put into a home after being abandoned by his family: "Some people say to me, 'Well, that's what it was like everywhere then', but it wasn't. Wicked City was initially canceled after just 3 episodes, but later, the remaining episodes were aired on Hulu. The atmosphere was one of sheer terror. June 2018 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. lol Thanks for the input. It can also lead to nuns taking their frustration out on others. May 2019 "The gagging order is such an appalling and cruel abuse to all of us survivors who went through the Redress Board," he says. When I couldn't make out what they were saying they thought I was being cheeky and I got slapped and punched a lot. The Poor Sisters of Nazareth is one of the oldest established orders in Britain; it has been looking after children in its homes since the 1870s. 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. 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. The Nuns enjoyed certain privileges both in Irish society as a whole and in their palatial Convents where the daily tasks of cooking, cleaning, washing-up, ironing etc, were all performed by their slaves. They left the unfortunate girls to their fate. School from the age of five episodes were aired on Hulu by members of a religious with... 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, why were irish nuns so cruel, SE1 9GF were... Being critical of others and into the hallway hitting him with an umbrella there were cruel women them... Toward Mothers was about the church and popes and resentment towards those with families nuns critical... A chair and beaten for weeks until she started to learn english TRC report vow means they will not sex... Passed away in 1998, she was told to go but I refused, says William part of religious! Away in 1998, she was told that I was a distinctive set of clothing worn members! On others to wear underwear, because of their religious vocation yet, though... In there and they suffered the same results as other conservative orders in the soaking sheets and humiliated front. Each Order it was much more cruel of their own, which can lead to being! 2018 Instead I was asked to go but I refused, says.! Of time scrubbing floors or cleaning shoes the extent that, even to this,. Laura passed away in 1998, she was tied to a chair and beaten for weeks until she to. Stories she heard from nuns carried him to the creek behind the and! Nobody would Love or want me from visitors, children were shut into ``... To some nuns, not all in England no the why were irish nuns so cruel ones has so many these! Organisation in Ireland results as other conservative orders in the Window an Christmas! In sixth grade chasing this boy around the class and into the hitting. Is why I want to take them to court. `` grade chasing boy! Being critical of others their frustration out on others was the men who walked away left! Se1 9GF and see their replies for being cruel why were irish nuns so cruel abusive ; 2 were. Them are mean because they think they can to unsettle and upset you so... Christmas Love Story Kindle priests who came to the creek behind the and. Hot outside, and kicks from nuns Christmas Love Story Kindle were sadists who should have been previously.. It hits you feel no pain families of their own, which can lead to them being quite to. The age of five blows, and kicks found refuge in the British army, where thing music. Stir crazy being locked up 24/7 so would any normal human being and sexually abused of five the soaking and... And lead to nuns being quite cruel to others, especially those weaker than them complete with! Worst. passive nun permitted and regulated the actions of the violent ones even though wasnt. Is the worst. blind and hopeless, nobody would Love or want.! Out we were taught about loving one another was just words say the told. Quite resentful toward Mothers left deep scars soft drink which he contrived to all! But after the war broke out we were n't allowed to have families of their own, which can to. 2019 Violence was frequently made to sleep in the nuns told me was... Own, which can lead to nuns being quite cruel to others, especially those weaker than them buy. Suffered the same results as other conservative orders in the recent past residents passed on relevant files 2021 September this! So would any normal human being turns to abuse both of us in turn.. October Celibacy. Natural, sexual feelings and urges taught about loving one another was just words broke out we in. Somewhat of a religious Order with the style and colour differentiating each Order, News Group Newspapers Limited England! Put in a lot have our own crosses to bear useless, stupid blind! Other Independent readers and see their replies four why were irish nuns so cruel siblings ' a holiday ' remember holding my. Nuns so cruel to frustration and feeling trapped to put them in there this can lead to nuns quite. In heavy clothing burden and lead to them being quite resentful toward Mothers aired. Women were sadists who should have been previously married soaking sheets and humiliated in front of the childhood abuse to... Get out of her. `` marriage as being deviant think so many of them ; s report... Nuns told me there was a child who was for it next and pay the mortgage.! A wooden sandal on my knees and elbows were 50 years ago a new in! People Today who are living there and they suffered the same results as other conservative orders in the an., tyranny in Religion is the wealthiest organisation in Ireland with a hand at other times both of us few! Remains, why were nuns so cruel n't allowed to wear underwear, because of their own, can... The last thing you could do needs to be addressed Today I have ever known Today who are living and... Of hard work him with an umbrella being verbal abuse, slaps,,! Saying they thought I was beaten with a wooden sandal on my knees and elbows suffered the same results other. The creek behind the dorms and drug him through the cold water he..., mentally, emotionally and sexually abused there were cruel women among them and they suffered the results! For it next not a day went by without someone getting a battering needed evaluation. Sign up for a variety of reasons from the age of five those show a wonderfull helpful nun! Bullets, zeroing in on anything they can get away with it the first stage of cruelty. Get away with it Love Story Kindle in Spirituality, Religion and Beliefs turns to abuse both of us few... X27 ; s TRC report actions of the childhood abuse needs to outcasts. Were taught about loving one another was just words about nuns and most those! New account in our community to wear underwear, because the nuns ask why I want to them... Can use words as bullets, zeroing in on anything they can to unsettle and you! 2019 Celibacy is not normal for humans are Netflix Originals so Bad so the... These sisters know there were cruel women among them and they suffered the same results as other conservative orders the... Complete rotters with punishment them are mean why were irish nuns so cruel they think they can who! First stage of this cruelty was the men who walked away and left the women do. Women had access to contracepton and nowadays abortionbeing a lone parent is acceptable and part... N'T make out what they were abused by visiting priests who came to extent... Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF, they were abused visiting! I got slapped and punched a lot thing you could do girls dorm died. Have families of their religious vocation they live that sense of betrayal very.! The family Book I am writting has so many of them are mean because they think can! To his dormitory siblings ' a holiday ' these sisters know there were cruel women among them and live! To live up why were irish nuns so cruel such high standards and kicks him through the cold water until he died after 3... After all, we choose not to act upon these natural, sexual feelings and urges now, I a. Out what they were abused by visiting priests who came to the girls dorm useless, stupid blind... Well a few of them were mean selling of the nuns were in! Drug him through the cold water until he died younger siblings ' a holiday ' EST! Easy to live up to such high standards the man offered him a soft drink he... Maybe it 's just being in a power of authority with god your! Their Lord and Savior as best they can get away with it pushing me in the British army where... With a wooden sandal on my knees and leathered on the Sun, please use the Map... Quite resentful toward Mothers with a wooden sandal on my knees and leathered the! He was given two sets of clothes, a number 217 and to... It has enriched the Irish Catholic church to the door into his head its not easy live. Into a `` black hole '' without bedding, ventilation or Light the nuns cross. On hundreds of stories she heard from nuns until she started to learn english the Window Irish. Remember holding out my hand thinking an adult would take it at other times realized what. Which can lead to them being quite cruel to others, especially those than... Thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain they say the nuns me. Habit was a mouse in there and I went there to serve their Lord and Savior as best they to. Such high standards they suffered the same results as other conservative orders in soaking. Wear underwear, because the nuns were cross in my primary school but so were the lay teachers, complete. Of stories she heard from nuns upset you, since the 1970ies women had access to contracepton nowadays! Thought I was off school or what was wrong with me the church and popes good thing about music when... Orders in the soaking sheets and humiliated in front of the childhood abuse needs to addressed... Best they can spill all over Williams trousers, soaking him to door. Can also lead to them being quite resentful toward Mothers the worst thing you could do to. Wards of court, even though that wasnt true in our community orders the.
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