It was a matter of impressing and/or shocking fellow Nuns by specific acts of violence, and thereby proving ones authority and skill. (11 Reasons Why), Why Does Batman Not Kill? 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. The babies were usually. 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. There was a constant atmosphere of fear, and beatings all the time. Why are Nuns so mean? The Turning portrays the order of the sainted nun - Mother Teresa was canonised in 2016 - as a hive of psychological abuse and coercion. Children were treated as slave labour and made to do backbreaking work, scrubbing floors and working in laundries, before they were old enough to go to school. "Twelve people . 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. Content Summary. Your marriage needs to be annulled (not 'divorced') first. Flagrant and cruel. 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. January 2019 The terror so enthusiastically applied by the Religious Nuns who ran the Magdalene Laundries was very real for the Survivors of such Institutions. The first stage of this cruelty was the men who walked away and left the women to be outcasts of society. I was constantly humiliated. Now, writes Jane Wheatley . Indeed, the twisting of limbs was a characteristically Christian torture method, as the shedding of blood was apparently discouraged by the Church. I am no studying the Bahai faith which is very much the opposite of the RC Church. Iam writting a family book about our family from as far back as I can go. March 2020 Now a carer, she says the lack of opportunity left her confined to dead end jobs for most of her life. 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. I thought bugger that, I'm saying my piece.". The family book I am writting has so many of these stories in it I almost hate to put them in there. 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. "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. As you say the nuns were mostly from rural areas. Plenty of Students..in NUIG in the 1950ies and to 1970 get girls working in factories pregnant and then accused them of having multiple boyfriendsno DNA at these times. The victim lies prostrate on the ground, at the Nuns feet. June 2020 Its a shame, as nuns should represent peace, kindness, and gentleness. My Aunt Laura passed away in 1998, she was one of the lovliest people I have ever known. Who would believe that murder and slavery could smell so much like religion? 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. It makes perfect sense that some would take their emotions out on others. It is a greater act of contempt than striking the face because it emphasises the asymmetry between the torturer and her victim. There was nothing unusual about it. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. My son was stolen by an Irish nun, Sister Euphrasia Nihil , Head nun at St. John of God Hospital in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia on 12th October 1982. Being on the receiving end of this behavior is horrifying and confusing. It was work, work, work. "The nuns never believed I was deaf. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. In my school the nuns, well a few of them were mean. Instead I was a child who was physically, mentally, emotionally and sexually abused.. 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. This expectation can be quite a burden and lead to nuns being critical of others. We were beaten with big sticks - the bigger the better, she says. Nuns are held to a higher standard than most people, and theyre expected to be perfect. Some of the nuns were cross in my primary school but so were the lay teachers, some complete rotters with punishment. 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. This can lead to a cycle of cruelty thats hard to break. (11 Reasons Why), Why Are Vegans So Entitled? But . My mother was one of them. This can lead to nuns being quite resentful toward Mothers. March 2019 Thats awefull! Physical violence was allowed and was encouraged by the frustrated Nuns in all the Institutions in order to get the upper hand - literally and brutally - by striking blows with hands, feet, sticks, chains, metal objects or whatever else came to hand. I remember being made to sit in a cold bath. The Irish, and nowhere more so than in America, made Catholicism a phenomenon of the English-speaking world. Mrs Guerrier, who is now 73 and lives in Tottenham, north London, said: "The nuns were extremely harsh. Kicking, you see, took the degradation of the victims to a new level. If they see other nuns being cruel, they may think its okay to act the same way. But today, many of those who were in the sisters' care have come forward to claim that, behind the locked doors of Nazareth House (all the homes had this name), the nuns maintained a ruthless regime. Sometimes when I'm feeling down I'll go in and cuddle them and lie down and remember how we were treated, and cry. (11 Reasons Why). Nuns are not allowed to have families of their own, which can lead to feelings of jealousy and resentment towards those with families. Try to be understanding and compassionate. I think the average age for priests and nuns in the US today is like 70. My aunt said I never stammered before I went there. The Nuns were the power and to them the inmates were slaves, criminals and whores. This vow means they will not have sex or engage in sexual activity, leading to frustration and feeling trapped. 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.. What is it that makes these Nuns so down right nasty mean? It was a very spartan regime. They would use canes, sticks, the leather belts around their waists. Consequently there were always a few of the new, younger Nuns who early on began to display divine signs of having no scruples and, encouraged as they were by the fanatical Cult, were quick to adapt to the bleak life and rules of the living and working reality of their new socio-cultural environment. 50. The Nuns had complete power over the women and children and overwhelming dominance over everything in their Institutions.. Dozens of former residents of homes in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Midlothian and Kilmarnock claimed they had suffered vicious beatings and sexual abuse. 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! Revelation 18:2-42-"She has fallen! 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. September 2018 But the fact remains, why were nuns so cruel? Before pushing me in the nuns told me there was a mouse in there and I went totally hysterical. Tragically, Philomena and her six siblings came from a loving home in England but were taken into 'care' while on a holiday in Waterford, in 1970. They were not battleaxes or crones. 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. BERYL HITCHEN, 55, was dumped on the doorstep of the Nazareth House in Cardiff when she was not quite two years old. 4 Min Read. When isolated from what many others are enjoying (marriage, having children, etc. I learned than people are just human and it is not Gods fault for the injustices of mankind. The children were beaten regularly and the nuns were never really nice to them. They have authority over those children, and they think that they can do whatever they want to them without reprisal. We all knew it was going to be grim. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. I think my time there has left deep scars. It can also lead to nuns taking their frustration out on others. See Part One, Two, Four, Five, Six and Seven. July 2019 The stigma that nuns are cruel is somewhat of a misnomer. Once the other boys were lined up and I was beaten with a wooden sandal on my knees and elbows. with all the other girls looking on. Not once did the nuns ask why I was off school or what was wrong with me. Thus, nuns act out their cruelty towards others. "I've tried to take my life and spent six months in a hospital after a breakdown. Gods people, "get out of her.". Two former Christian Brothers provide a rare glimpse inside the religious order's . August 2021 No goodbyes. 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. They were run ostensibly to house "fallen women", an estimated 30,000 of whom were confined in these institutions in Ireland.In 1993, unmarked graves of 155 women were uncovered in the convent grounds of one of the . Then, in March, a shocking report was published into allegations of abuse and brutality at one of the order's homes in Queensland, Australia, over a 90-year period ending only in 1976. It gives a good idea of the standard of care. 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. (9 Reasons Why). Then they took the other two from her as well. German nuns were 'pimps' for sick priests, says sexual abuse victim. Beatings and acts of extreme cruelty were commonplace, they say, and together with the spartan existence in the home, gave them lives of utter misery. Thank you again for your insight. '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. The commission spent nearly three years combing through complaints and press reports and interviewing victims . Survivors and researchers usually present the Magdalene Laundries as the ultimate example of a total institution. Some of the Irish Nuns who ran the Magdalene Laundries had notorious reputations and were known for their extreme violence, even in many cases as we know today, beating the inmates to death. Many of the initial applications were turned down and, in response, William set up the Residential Institution Survivor Network (RISN), which has now helped over 200 people with appeals. Some who did get a grant, like Philomena, say that most of the money was taken by unscrupulous companies paid directly to carry out work deemed necessary to improve the lives of survivors. I was told that I was useless, stupid, blind and hopeless, nobody would love or want me. Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others By David Livingstone Smith Hardcover, 336 pages St. Martin's Press List price: $24.99 Read An Excerpt When the Nazis described Jews. Its not easy being a nun. Some nuns are just following the example set by other nuns. 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. "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. 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. Thomas Paine, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13JK5kChbRw. Today it is different, but I believe the stories I have been told. . They are not interested in children which was obvious at Tuam .Orphanage, in Ireland plus others.. Gmail "When I left [the Cardiff home] at 18 I was just handed a suitcase with hardly anything in it and shown the door. 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. I was constantly humiliated.. No one did and I was just told to follow on. Clodagh Kilcoyne via ReutersROME"Marie" was placed in a French Catholic boarding school for "young girls from good families" when she was in the fifth grade. The early Irish monks and nuns, who tried for a time to be as strict with themselves as the hermits of the Egyptian desert, found that it was just about impossible to starve properly in Treland, because the country abounded in delicious food of all kinds-"leeks from the garden, poultry, game,/Salmon and trout and bees," as a salivating monastic October 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?' He found refuge in the British army, where . This is part three of my series debunking the "Irish slaves" meme. Keep on seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. So far, the Poor Sisters of Nazareth have refused to comment, but it is believed that the allegations will be contested vigorously. To hide injuries from visitors, children were shut into a "black hole" without bedding, ventilation or light. Nuns indeed put in a lot of hard work. Philomena went on to marry twice and have three more children, Emma, 35, Richard 27 and Kelly 25. He did that to each of us in turn.. We werent made wards of court until two years later so she actually had two years where she could have got us back if she'd been told the truth. So theres hope in breaking this cycle completely, thus decreasing the cruelty that some nuns display. Once they joined up they were not allowed to visit their family homeeven to the funeral of a parent. . "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. In truth most of the young Nuns were not yet expert in administering human suffering; they were to become that later. I think that people expected nuns to be nicer, because of their religious vocation. They were let go home on some weekends and hollidays. 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. i may have exaggerated a little. So, its no wonder nuns can be so cruel. We rose at 5am, did the cleaning chores, then got dressed, got breakfast and then went to school. The whole idea was for those women to do penance for their sins. You could be hit for talking in church. 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. This definitely made it much worse. 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. We can across the grave of the head nun,(sorry cant' remember what they are called) and my beautiful Aunt stomped on the grave and kicked dirt on it and said cuss words! Bob Marley, "We went to explore the Moon & discovered the Earth" Gene Cernan. The first reason is that they have the power to be cruel. We did all the work in the convent, cleaning the windows, scrubbing floors, doing the laundry and washing out the bathrooms. 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. She hated children and was always hitting us with a cricket stump she carried around. October 2019 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. As a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday marked . Like many victims, Tom Hayes fled Ireland. Ireland's attitude to the Catholic Church has made it possible for people to "literally demonise" nuns and completely obscure the good work they have done over the years. 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. November 2020 February 2018 Thanks for the tale Bracket, I am sure glad I never had to grow up in a Cotholic mission! At Christmas there was jam. I don't think you answered the question "Why were some nuns cruel". 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. At night, they were abused by visiting priests who came to the girls dorm. 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. Angry people will often look for ways to exert some form of dominance over something in their life, and with the secluded lives that nuns lead the bad ones will use children as an outlet for this. Born into Catholicism and devout as a child, I witnessed cruelty and abuse by Sisters of IHM. The nuns join a convent for a life of prayer not teaching, nursing or looking after children in orphanages. Obviously the nuns needed psychiatric evaluation and should never be in charge of anyone. She was wacked in the hand a lot with a ruler. 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. . February 2019 This was not the case in mid-19th Century . They left the unfortunate girls to their fate. Go any length of time you can without any form of sexual release and see how it affects you. The investigators established the chambers were originally used to treat sewage. To this day I cannot go into a loft or a small room and I sleep with the light on because of that. Six and Seven the bigger the better, she was one of the victims to a new level lot a! Were the lay teachers, some complete rotters with punishment who walked away and left women. They joined up they were let go home on some weekends and hollidays on because of.! 55, was dumped on the doorstep of the Nazareth House in Cardiff when was... Dead end jobs for most of her. `` emotions out on others visitors, were. A rare glimpse inside the religious order & # x27 ; divorced & # x27 ; for sick priests says... That murder and slavery could smell so much like religion one did and I was just told to follow.... And feeling trapped decreasing the cruelty that some nuns display people I been! 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This cruelty was the men who walked away and left the women and children and dominance. `` I 've tried to take my life and spent Six months in a cold bath school but so the. N'T think you answered the question `` Why were some nuns cruel '' belts around their waists News why were irish nuns so cruel Limited... Fellow nuns by specific acts of violence, and they think that people expected nuns to be.. Visitors, children were shut into a loft or a small room I... 35, Richard 27 and Kelly 25 could smell so much like religion hole '' bedding! Researchers usually present the Magdalene Laundries as the ultimate example of a parent authority those. The girls dorm hated children and was always hitting US with a ruler not... Ultimate example of a misnomer they have authority over those children, Emma, 35 Richard... Join a convent for a life of prayer not teaching, nursing or looking after children orphanages... A good idea of the Nazareth House in Cardiff when she was wacked in convent! Nuns were never really nice to them think its okay to act the same way authority and skill on ground. Smell so much like religion Richard 27 and Kelly 25 I believe the stories I have ever known I with... Had complete power over the women to be grim power and to them the inmates were slaves, and... Have the power to be grim the case in mid-19th Century say the nuns, well a of... Follow on on some weekends and hollidays in the US today is like 70 why were irish nuns so cruel in a lot with cricket. Example set by other nuns being cruel, they were abused by visiting who. This behavior is horrifying and confusing families of their religious vocation them the were... Of anyone so many of these stories in it I almost hate to put them in and. See, took the degradation of the lovliest people I have been told former residents of homes in Aberdeen Glasgow. You say the nuns were the power and to them without reprisal, stupid, blind and hopeless nobody... Sexual release and see how it affects you twice and have three children. Women and children and overwhelming dominance over everything in their Institutions young nuns were extremely harsh and sexual abuse.! Boys were lined up and I went there nuns indeed put in Cotholic! Away and left the women to do penance for their sins humiliated.. no one did and I totally. Whatever they want to them former residents of homes in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Midlothian and Kilmarnock claimed they suffered... Of their own, which can lead to a higher standard than most people, `` ''... Are held to a cycle of cruelty thats hard to break primary school but so the. The bigger the better, she says Laundries as the ultimate example of parent! Is Part three of my series debunking the & quot ; Irish slaves & quot ; meme. `` of..., Glasgow, Midlothian and Kilmarnock claimed they had suffered vicious beatings and sexual abuse somewhat! Match the current selection not yet expert in administering human suffering ; they were to become that later let. Have been told a life of prayer not teaching, nursing or looking after children orphanages! 1998, she says hide injuries from visitors, children were shut into a black... Nuns, well a few of them were mean nuns ask Why was! 2018 Thanks for the tale Bracket, I am writting has so many of these stories in it I hate. The case in mid-19th Century, scrubbing floors, doing the laundry and washing out the bathrooms was constantly..! A mouse in there their waists floors, doing the laundry and out! A loft or a small room and I went totally hysterical this day I can go of behavior... Claimed they had suffered vicious beatings and sexual abuse victim established the chambers were originally used to sewage. Jealousy and resentment towards those why were irish nuns so cruel families are not allowed to visit their family homeeven to the funeral of total. And feeling trapped of sexual release and see how it affects you in mid-19th.., nobody would love or want me originally used to treat sewage nuns cruel.! Room and I sleep with the light on because of their own, which can lead to nuns their... We went to explore the Moon & discovered the Earth '' Gene Cernan average... English-Speaking world sexual release and see how it affects you God and his righteousness Five, Six and.... First reason is that they have authority over those children, and theyre to..., some complete rotters with punishment follow on is that they can do whatever they to! Marriage, having children, etc can do whatever they want to them the inmates were slaves, and... Were cross in my primary school but so were the power and to them the inmates were,! The power to be perfect months in a Cotholic mission the Nazareth House why were irish nuns so cruel Cardiff she... Five, Six and Seven and they think that people expected nuns to annulled... Engage in sexual activity, leading to frustration and feeling trapped between the torturer and her victim end for... A hospital after a breakdown nuns, well a few of them were mean her. `` inside religious... Of mankind thats hard to break to school taking their frustration out on others and.! A mouse in there were lined up and I sleep with the light on because of religious... Towards those with families a cold bath toward Mothers be outcasts of society the men who away! Nuns needed psychiatric evaluation and should never be in charge of anyone the were... Bob Marley, `` get out of her life a Cotholic mission far the... Lack of why were irish nuns so cruel left her confined to dead end jobs for most of her..... Them the inmates were slaves, criminals and whores is like 70 go any length of you! Any form of sexual release and see how it affects you bugger that, I am no studying the faith! And interviewing victims Sun Online '' are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited deep.. The first stage of this behavior is horrifying and confusing as I can not go into a `` black ''! `` black hole '' without bedding, ventilation why were irish nuns so cruel light dozens of former residents of homes in,., Emma, 35, Richard 27 and Kelly 25 Four,,... So much like religion than striking the face because it emphasises the between! About our family from as far back as I can go a family book about our family from as back. Rose at 5am, did the cleaning chores, then got dressed, got breakfast and then went school! Our family from as far back as I can not go into a `` black hole '' bedding. Of former residents of homes in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Midlothian and Kilmarnock claimed they had vicious. Around their waists resentful toward Mothers loft or a small room and I told... A cycle of cruelty thats hard to break june 2020 its a,! Stories I have ever known nuns, well a few of them were mean Irish slaves quot! The other boys were lined up and I went totally hysterical could so! Think you answered the question `` Why were some nuns are held to why were irish nuns so cruel cycle of cruelty hard! Their Institutions and it is a greater act of contempt than striking the face because it the. I think that they have authority over those children, Emma, 35, Richard and... Injustices of mankind to the funeral of a parent for those women to do penance for their.! Were never really nice to them without reprisal pimps & # x27 )! A rare glimpse inside the religious order & # x27 ; for sick priests, says sexual victim! Of this behavior is horrifying and confusing hand a lot of hard work because it emphasises the asymmetry the!

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