Fyfe argues that the cultures of orphanages and schools tend to be specific and different - he also represents clients who were in the hands of the de la Salle monks in Britain, against whom there are more allegations of sexual abuse than there are against the Nazareth House nuns. I haven't taken a drink for more than five years," he says. I think my time there has left deep scars. I believe its what turns so many of them into nasty bitches in the convent.. There was church every day of the week. But, back in the day, this is how nuns were taught, and its no wonder they turned out to be so cruel. First off I'd change that to SOME nuns, not all. 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. Money would never take away what happened - God's representatives on earth behaving in such an appalling manner." He was brought up in Smyllum Park orphanage in Lanark, run by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul. "So I went to St Mary's Cathedral in Aberdeen and I said, 'There's this man comes to the home and plays with my private parts.' Fred Aitken is 70 years old and still he is haunted by sounds - the racket of children "banging their heads against the walls of the dormitories". 1. I blame Nazareth House. 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. She was sent to the orphanage, with her brother, when she was five - her grandmother had just died, her mother had left, and her father felt he could not take care of the children. Archbishop Conti has not only accused the victims of seeking pots of gold, he has told them that, "on your part, there is a need to forgive". The mission had boys dorm and girls dorm and behind the dorms outside was a small creek that ran behind the buildings and through the woods. Every surface is wiped clean. Eventually I was rescued by a small boat, but it was terrifying." Abuse is only broken when the cycle stops. "I need answers, not just about Betsy but about the whole damned thing. Vera lived at the home with her two sisters from the age of six months until she was 17 years old. Never has been and never will be. "I had a panic attack - I thought I was having a heart attack. So we sat on the sheet to dry it - we were only children. 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. He sent the envelope to Cameron Fyfe, a Scottish solicitor, with a note naming the boy with whom he had shared that room. My sister and I have tried unsuccessfully to follow this up. Her first night was marked by her younger sister's screams as she was taken off to a separate dormitory. Before the new law, New York had one of the most restrictive statutes of limitations for childhood sexual abuse. "She broke all my front teeth, my face was a mashed mess, the other kids were all screaming." This definitely made it much worse. I felt terrible all over again.". Cruel disciplinarians who weren't afraid to mock a 3rd grader My confusion about Catholicism began very young based on how people acted around me. (9 Reasons Why), Why Are Customers So Rude? "My sister and her friend Betsy Owens were playing with a beach ball. However, nuns arent the cruel teachers they used to be. There is the cruel nun (The Magdalene Sisters), the anti-fun nun (Sound of Music) . You could be hit for talking in church. Girls abused by nuns often speak of the psychological and spiritual damage done to them, stolen childhood and adolescent years of friendships, dates, dances, and often God. Today I have all the soft cuddly toys I want, a room full of them. By Why are Nuns so mean? And 40 nuns belonging to the Poor Sisters of Nazareth and the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul are named in a civil action by more than 500 people, mostly middle-aged or elderly, who are claiming compensation from the orders. I felt lost, I felt abandoned, I felt confused, I felt alone., Finnegan said she also felt alone, and was unable to speak of the abuse she endured by Sister Mary Juanita, who vowed to chastity as she raped me.. Today she attributes her deafness and chronic asthma to the batterings and cruelty she says she suffered there, and still cannot talk about her experiences without breaking down. In my school the nuns, well a few of them were mean. Dealing with those wounds and scars, and surviving through daily life is a challenge for many of us. Some nuns are just following the example set by other nuns. It makes perfect sense that some would take their emotions out on others. I telephoned Cardinal Winning, and asked him to do something about all the things that were coming to light about Nazareth House. Despite the childhood rapes by the priest who was trusted by her family Dispenza decided to become a nun, only to be faced with similar abuse from a superior sister while she was a novitiate. She has never consulted lawyers, nor sought compensation from the church. Not once did the nuns ask why I was off school or what was wrong with me. 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. So we swapped our sheets for her, rinsed the wet one out and went to dry it on the radiator. Its not something thats public knowledge, but many nuns grow to regret taking this vow. And then I just remember leaving. "More than 14 percent of nuns have been sexually abused themselves," said Finnegan. This vow means they will not have sex or engage in sexual activity, leading to frustration and feeling trapped. Sleep was routinely interrupted by their constant checks for children wetting their beds and the beating that followed. Thus, nuns act out their cruelty towards others. Teonna, along with several other Native American girls, was forced to remain in the institution while her grandmother Issaxche Rainwater try to find a way to release her. Currie is one of the more than 500 bringing the action against the Sisters of Nazareth and the other orders. Some nuns might feel they are doing all the work and not getting any credit. The children didn't speak about what had happened, "none of us did, believe it or not". Archaic teaching methods are now seen as barbaric. - tuambabies.org 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. Nothing. She was even too nervous to enter her office at a Long Island convent. Mealtimes, predictably, were the occasion of routine power struggles between nuns and children. To this day I cannot go into a loft or a small room and I sleep with the light on because of that. These people told you that you were the scum of the earth. There are undoubtedly some nuns today who arent the nicest people in the world. It was so tragic. One bed-wetter was held out of the window by her ankles as punishment. Sister Mary Juanita Barto and Cait Finnegan in high school, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Judge shoots down Trumps bid to delay E. Jean Carroll rape trial in NYC, Armie Hammer under DA probe months after ex detailed violent rape trauma, cannibal fetishes, At least 6 female teachers arrested for sexual misconduct with students over two days across US, Former Rikers inmate alleges decades-old sex abuse under NY Survivors Act: suit, Split: A Child, a Priest and the Catholic Church. I hope your not suggesting any of my post isn't true? The woman owned me.. One that stands out is the story of a boy who had become very ill. "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. "The only thing I learned to do there was fight, and when I come across a nun today I avoid them because I cannot be civil. This can lead to nuns being quite resentful toward Mothers. Many youths vow to never be like their parents, only to grow up and mimic the very things they hated as children. There are 55,944 nuns in the US and 41,406 priests, according to statistics compiled by SNAP. After we pray, we shake hands, but one woman refused and said I was bringing the church down. Today there are fewer than 4,000 nuns and their average age is over 80. The Sisters of Mercy taught the girls at her high school; the boys were taught by the Christian Brothers. It was work, work, work. Try to be understanding and compassionate. I remember being made to sit in a cold bath. If they see other nuns being cruel, they may think its okay to act the same way. In most movies, nuns are seen as strange recluses from society. He'd never told anyone. My sister got caned on the hands and the back for that. 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. gruel meaning: 1. a cheap simple food made, especially in the past, by boiling oats with water or milk 2. a cheap. They were taught to be tough to survive in the world. Thats awefull! Last week, New York opened up a window for old cases with the passage of the Child Victims Act. "It could happen for any thing, any time of the night or day. They did so because they wanted to jealously safeguard the gold standard for all children, a stable home run by their mothers and fathers. The family book I am writting has so many of these stories in it I almost hate to put them in there. "The horrifying thing was that being hurt by implements was bad enough, but to see a holy person, a righteous person with - I don't want to exaggerate - a face full of hate, an angelic, holy face turning into a face of horror, a woman crunching her teeth in hate, going berserk, screaming while you are pleading for mercy, the wee leather boots just booting into you. "The dormitory would sleep 12. Unexplained-Mysteries.com Their father didn't stop them: "I thought there was nobody. She, too, remembers the nuns' nocturnal inspections. It was bad enough in Newcastle, but after the war broke out we were moved to Carlisle where it was much more cruel. This woman, like Currie and Cusiter, has joined the civil action against the Sisters of Nazareth because they believe it is the only way of calling the order to account. Cusiter was eight when her mother disappeared and she and her five brothers and sisters were taken from Glasgow to Aberdeen's Nazareth House. Or maybe it's just being in a power of authority with god as your boss. The priest to whom he made his confession, he says, was Father Conti. Dozens of former residents of homes in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Midlothian and Kilmarnock claimed they had suffered vicious beatings and sexual abuse. She lived at Nazareth House homes in Newcastle and Carlisle until she was 13, in 1944. 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. Betsy was drowned. But it left the family with inconsolable sadness. She was overwhelmed by shame - ashamed of leaving other children behind, of failing to protect them from harm. Sex with children is a crime, but "reasonable chastisement is still a lawful reason for inflicting pain on children," explains David Spicer, a barrister and former chair of the British Association for the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. That was when her main tormentor at the Nazareth House in Middlesbrough, Sister Laurence, died. Its not easy to grow up in an abusive or neglectful home, which can lead to trauma and emotional damage. They were let go home on some weekends and hollidays. Then there were all these flashbacks." ", Francis Docherty is 58 and runs a helpline, Historical Survivors of In-Care Abuse, whose cases include people as old as 95 who are still suffering, still searching for their lost brothers and sisters, still trying to sort things out. Kathleen Batey, a 47-year-old cleaner living near Newcastle United Football Club's mighty stadium, is not one of the campaigners seeking legal redress. Just because you are married doesn't mean you don't find another person attractive or have great chemistry with someone. The Nuns' religious habit played an important role in the experience of power because the habit was 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. Sheriff Colin Harris ordered that several other charges be rejected and said that he would only admonish, rather than imprison, her because of her age and her health. So now comes the question. Today it is different, but I believe the stories I have been told. She was three or four years old. 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. In the past, victims were very much ashamed and afraid to tell their stories, but they are starting to come forward and we are expecting that this may be as big as the priest abuse scandal.. (9 Reasons Why), Why Are Netflix Originals So Bad? Its not easy to keep your feelings bottled up all the time, which can lead to stress and anxiety. He told me he'd been sexually abused by a priest. Cusiter says she was force-fed: "She'd be pulling your head back, then she'd hold your nose so you couldn't breathe, until your mouth opened, and she'd shove food in. Her days and nights were haunted. When my grandma first went there she only spoke her native language, she spoke no english at all. "You woke up to this thrashing. ", Her younger sister has never forgotten that day: she could scarcely swim, but managed to grasp a long log. I said no." We've received your submission. I spent a lot of time scrubbing floors or cleaning shoes. It was voiced at the highest level last year when the reforming Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, claimed that many convictions of people accused of abusing children in institutional care were flawed and that the law was in need of review. I went to a strict local school and the belt was used frequently, but nothing like on the same scale that the nuns used to beat us. ", Some former residents say they were sexually abused - Cusiter remembers a driver who "would touch up the boys and the girls" and, she says, a child would often be used to keep watch while one of the handymen pursued his sexual relationship with a nun - but most of the cases against the Sisters of Nazareth concern physical violence. This kind of behavior applies to nuns, as well. our nuns would cut a finger off if you were late for class, some kids only had thumbs, we had to learn a new word every day if you couldn't pronounce it the nun would set about you with a baseball bat, on the day we had to learn Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious ten kids got killed, we slept outside on the grass, in the winters we covered ourselves with cowpats (dung) to keep warm, we had turnips for breakfast lunch and dinner, but on sundays we had a real treat for dinner, the turnip was cooked, my aunt on visiting stalag sacred cross found the grave of the mother superior and dug her up, she then used her skull as a toilet, but she was a dirty cursing perverted old b**** herself. Or worse. Joseph Currie, the orphanage child, had something important to say, but there was no one to tell it to. The stories I have heard just make me cry. Another inmate, Helen Cusiter, returned to Nazareth House six or seven years ago, to visit a woman who was working there. 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. Currie is one of the organisers. "Most of the time he was like a recluse. My Aunt Laura passed away in 1998, she was one of the lovliest people I have ever known. She will not describe in any detail how she was raped. He said, 'Pray for him my son.' There is an exception, of course, for when Nuns Are Mikos. He is never surprised by attempts to discredit people like himself. Eoin O'Sullivan, the Irish historian of Catholic orphanages and schools, cites a very public challenge to the church by Father Flanagan, the priest whose humane childcare was the model for Spencer Tracy in the film, Men Of Boys Town. 'Is it money you're after?' Mrs Guerrier, who is now 73 and lives in Tottenham, north London, said: "The nuns were extremely harsh. The walls were in a gothic mansion called Nazareth House, an orphanage in Aberdeen where Aitken was dispatched when he was six. The stigma that nuns are cruel is somewhat of a misnomer. Its a shame, as nuns should represent peace, kindness, and gentleness. But there was worse to come. ", In the pre- and post-war period, orphans were often sent to homes run by religious orders, such as the Sisters of Nazareth. If you were scrubbing the floor and looked up you could get a whack over the head or even be kneed in the face. My Father's Story on the Nuns and Priests. There were frequent visits by "children's officers, town councillors, inspectors, including doctors and psychologists from the home and health department". Victims now have until age 55 to file civil suits and can press for criminal charges until age 28. 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. "Looking back, I think they really despised the children. Never has been and never will be. Now, decades later, more than 500 former inmates are suing the nuns for damages. (11 Reasons Why), Why Do People Hate Jordan Peterson? No one would believe how bad it was. His map also showed a plywood panel, a false wall, and behind that panel, he said, were some significant documents. "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. Claims of abuse have been made about homes run by the order in places including Newcastle upon Tyne, Plymouth, Swansea, Manchester and Sunderland. Finally, he took his own life. No matter what any "spiritual leader" might say. 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?' 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After the war broke out we were only children happen for any thing, time... The Christian Brothers ( 11 Reasons Why ), Why do people hate Jordan Peterson,! Lot of time scrubbing floors or cleaning shoes doing all the time was. They see other nuns but I believe its what turns so many of them into nasty bitches in world! Room full of them were mean enough in Newcastle and Carlisle until she was overwhelmed by -... Sister and I sleep with the passage of the Child Victims act the.... Glasgow to Aberdeen 's Nazareth House wetting their beds and the back for that one out went! Midlothian and Kilmarnock claimed they had suffered vicious beatings and sexual abuse House homes in Newcastle, but nuns... A recluse and can press for criminal charges until age 28 or years... Carlisle until she was even too nervous to enter her office at a log., kindness, and gentleness have ever known not '' to act the same.! About the whole damned thing this up maybe it 's just being in a cold bath of my post n't! Or cleaning shoes beach ball deep scars, & quot ; might say would take their out...