Does any of what these Nuns did sound righteous to you? The nuns were also investigated by an Apostolic Commissioner, and they suffered the same results as other conservative orders in the recent past. Narcissists can use words as bullets, zeroing in on anything they can to unsettle and upset you. It was quite the display, if you knew her would not think in a thousand years that she would ever do anything like that! This kind of behavior applies to nuns, as well. No matter what any "spiritual leader" might say. Today it is different, but I believe the stories I have been told. Nuns should strive to serve their Lord and Savior as best they can. "I've tried to take my life and spent six months in a hospital after a breakdown. Nowadays, since the 1970ies women had access to contracepton and nowadays abortionbeing a lone parent is acceptable and even part of the norm. Violence was frequently employed and encouraged with the most common forms being verbal abuse, slaps, blows, and kicks. For William, and thousands of others, the nightmare goes on. The nuns would enter a convent in their teens and would be told nothing about sex or re Continue Reading 18 2 Peter Kisner Now a carer, she says the lack of opportunity left her confined to dead end jobs for most of her life. August 2019 By Philip Pullella. You are right nuns are human like you and everyone else. November 2018 ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. 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. Nuns are supposed to be modest in their appearance, which can lead to them being quite critical of others who dont dress modestly. Your post was so full of hate & sarcasm Im surprised you havent been banned what you wrote was absolutely inexcusable. It was a very spartan regime. March 2018 It is also a powerful order across the world, and its published accounts show it is worth pounds 154m. My grandfather told a story of how, when he was a young kid, one of his friends whispered something to him. Was Thomas given away or sold? I saw boys picked up by the throat by a nun for disobedience in line changing classes in Catholic school. . Instead of fetching a doctor they kept me in bed and surrounded me with hot water bottles. The only subject of conversation was who was for it next. "You were thrashed about the feet, head and hands, you had your hair pulled and your head bounced off the walls. One of these burst and burnt my foot badly, leaving a permanent scar. I left Catholicism because , people should care without threat of heaven/hell. They have authority over those children, and they think that they can do whatever they want to them without reprisal. It can also lead to nuns acting out in ways that are considered cruel. 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. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. By Sue Lloyd Roberts. June 2019 They may feel they are missing out on something essential and wonder what could have been. Many people considered that childbirth made a woman unholy or unclean because it resulted from sexual activity; sexual abstinence and virginity being equated to holiness. Wicked City . 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. The children were beaten regularly and the nuns were never really nice to them. Its not easy being a nun. The Nuns were the power and to them the inmates were slaves, criminals and whores. 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. (11 Reasons Why). Police are also investigating after lawyers representing former residents passed on relevant files. Are they all mean? She became one of thousands of Roman Catholic women who were locked up in Ireland in the 1950s and 1960s for being pregnant and unmarried, many in institutions run by fiercely unforgiving nuns . Bob Marley, "We went to explore the Moon & discovered the Earth" Gene Cernan. 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. There is but one truthso start searching and praying and seeking and asking..What is the Truth? He was told that the remains would be brought back to Moate for mass and the following day to his hometown of Daingean, Co. Offaly. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. This woman wouldn't say sh** if she had a mouth full. Anyone who suffers from it can rest easy in at least knowing they're not alone, and when KQED looked at why so many horror movies feature nuns, they found that part of it was the secrecy of convents that put the fear of God into people.. It's been that way for a long, long time way back in . So far, the Poor Sisters of Nazareth have refused to comment, but it is believed that the allegations will be contested vigorously. Kicking, you see, took the degradation of the victims to a new level. We rose at 5am, did the cleaning chores, then got dressed, got breakfast and then went to school. There are undoubtedly some nuns today who arent the nicest people in the world. Long gone are the days of teaching nuns to be cruel, and now theyre being taught with more compassion. Are thay taught "Spare the rod spoil the child" in nun school? 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. Their thinking was instutionalized as of course they were too. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. The man offered him a soft drink which he contrived to spill all over Williams trousers, soaking him to the skin. See Part One, Two, Four, Five, Six and Seven. Jealous Nuns could be jealous of the attention that Catholic Mothers get. Thank you again for your insight. 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. There are times when its hot outside, and the last thing you want to do is dress in heavy clothing. 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 religious habit was a distinctive set of clothing worn by members of a religious Order with the style and colour differentiating each Order. Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear. Iam writting a family book about our family from as far back as I can go. A Nuns wooden rosary beads was used to beat me after she had stripped me naked leaving me to suffer painful welts and bruises all over my body for months. August 2021 In between he was assigned backbreaking cleaning jobs, working up to 12 hours a day, and was physically and emotionally abused. Her Irish mother, Mary Burke, had been staying with her brother but left five of the children there while she travelled home to get more money from her husband to extend the holiday. 10 The Duplessis Orphans. Total hypocrisy with no explanation. I endured all their frustrations directly with violence, beatings, rapes, and mental trauma. 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 . Thankfully, those methods have changed, and nuns are now taught with more compassion. In truth most of the young Nuns were not yet expert in administering human suffering; they were to become that later. 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. Across thousands of miles, across decades, the abuse took eerily similar forms: People who grew up in orphanages said they were made to kneel or stand for hours, sometimes with their arms straight out, sometimes holding their boots or some other item. 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 . Remember one more thing: the mothers who dropped their out-of-wedlock children off at the convents had only one other choice at the timethe street. The gagging order is such an appalling and cruel abuse to all of us survivors who went through the Redress Board. The scathing report, by Professor Bruce Grundy of Queensland University, told of how one girl, Helen Carter, had her legs burnt with a red-hot poker, to exorcise the Devil, while another child almost lost her legs which became infected after a nun pulled out her ingrowing toenails with pliers. Nuns are no different; however, we choose not to act upon these natural, sexual feelings and urges. "Looking back, I think one of the reasons was that the nuns weren't happy and decided we damn well weren't going to be either. 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.. Never has been and never will be. Unkind. William, one of 13 children born to Catherine and John Gorry in Ballyowen, Co. Offaly, was born partially sighted and two of his brothers were severely disabled. After all, slavery played a crucial role in the development and ongoing operation of the Cults economy. They are not interested in children which was obvious at Tuam .Orphanage, in Ireland plus others.. Its a shame, as nuns should represent peace, kindness, and gentleness. When I couldn't make out what they were saying they thought I was being cheeky and I got slapped and punched a lot. When isolated from what many others are enjoying (marriage, having children, etc. 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. Eleven nuns were among the 12 people who were arrested and charged on Thursday for years of alleged physical and sexual abuse against children at a Catholic orphanage in Scotland. (11 Reasons Why), Why Are Vegans So Entitled? I've never found it easy forming relationships and had periods when I've had to go to hospital and had all sorts of problems.". Philomena Bolger is another survivor who suffered physical and sexual assault in an Industrial School from the age of five. The Residential Institutions Redress Board, set up in 2002, received 16,500 applications for financial compensation - 15,500 of which were successful - and paid out an average of 62,000 (55,000) in sums ranging from 10,000 to 300,000. "I 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. VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - When young nuns at a convent in Eastern Europe told their Mother Superior that a priest had tried to molest them, she retorted that it was . 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!". 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. September 2021 So now comes the question. July 2018 It can also lead to nuns lashing out at others due to their discomfort. Flagrant and cruel. Why are Nuns so mean? The improvised weapons greatly increased the force of the blows and added humiliation to physical injury. Powered by Invision Community, People who don't know how to weep with their whole heart, don't know how to laugh either. Nuns can be cruel for a variety of reasons. August 2020 Unexplained-Mysteries.com In my school the nuns, well a few of them were mean. Imagine trying to be perfect all the time. No Nun ever died of hunger, yet hundreds - if not thousands - of the enslaved women and children in their care died from hunger and cold. 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 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. 4 Min Read. First off I'd change that to SOME nuns, not all. 3-For because of the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, all the nations have fallen victim, and the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth became rich owing to the power of her shameless luxury." They would just use anything that came to hand. 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?' For other inquiries, Contact Us. Sometimes the really obvious take on history turns out to be the right one. "When the Sister died, we were told to pray for her in Heaven, but we all prayed that we were glad. He would feed him at breakfast, dinner and lunch then undress him and bath him before putting him to bed. The piece was based on hundreds of stories she heard from nuns. The commission spent nearly three years combing through complaints and press reports and interviewing victims . Or maybe it's just being in a power of authority with god as your boss. 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! 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. I just want to try to understand it. Nuns are not allowed to have families of their own, which can lead to feelings of jealousy and resentment towards those with families. Gods truth? April 2020 "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. Boston College's O'Neill Library says there's even a word for fear of nuns, and it's scenisciphobia. 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. Searching for. A social worker then arrived at their door, offering him and his four younger siblings 'a holiday'. She remembers a nun who would come to her class every day to choose a student to help her with Mass. "The nuns never believed I was deaf. 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. 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. Why Are Nuns So Cruel? "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. At one time, the training nuns received was outdated and very harsh. A nun and a former nun with ties to the residential school in Shubenacadie, N.S. The Nuns had complete power over the women and children and overwhelming dominance over everything in their Institutions.. "A high proportion also self-harm or take their own lives - and they are 15,000 times more likely to end up incarcerated.". I have cried so much wondering what happened to my loving brother. 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. January 2020 August 2018 The purpose of the daily perpetration of violence against slave women and children of all backgrounds were to dominate, break and destroy them. There was church every day of the week. It was a dreadful experience and I will never forget it. During the Age of Exploration, two basic factors influenced the Europeans in their efforts. Yes, these sisters know there were cruel women among them and they live that sense of betrayal very painfully. 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! I was terrified the whole time and never had a happy day there. The punishment was being forced to stand in front of a nun's cell with the soiled linen on your head or being sat in the galvanized steel bath while two assistants poured buckets of cold water over your head. She was tied to a chair and beaten for weeks until she started to learn english. Others have already pointed out that Nuns are denied any intimacy when they join Catholicism. I blame Nazareth House. Many children's homes have been closed & some demolished in a effort to erase the stain. William, then aged 10, was just one of 30,000 children placed in 50 of the schools throughout Ireland between 1936 and 1990. Keep on seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. 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. Yet another was scarred after being scalded by a nun who accused her of not using enough hot water when washing. In the 1940s, the Bon Secours nuns were paid by the Irish state nearly 100 per child a week to care for those in their care. If not you got another whacking. And thats a good thing for everyone involved. The whole concept is flawed from the get-go. Your marriage needs to be annulled (not 'divorced') first. The investigators established the chambers were originally used to treat sewage. Nuns indeed put in a lot of hard work. "It could happen for any thing, any time of the night or day. The Nuns had been punishing this boy for not doing his chores and on that fateful night he was murdered by the Nuns. 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. May 2022 "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. 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. Run by the Bon Secours order of nuns, the Tuam home opened in 1925 and closed in 1961. 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. It has enriched the Irish Catholic Church to the extent that, even to this day, it is the wealthiest organisation in Ireland. Vicious evil people.. The female . Some nuns are just following the example set by other nuns. The rack was a simple contraption, consisting of a rectangular frame raised from . Some Nuns systematically accelerated and intensified their violent acts in the presence of another Nun, and considered it better still if she was an incoming novice. One of the devices operating on this principle was the rack, which is infamously associated with the Inquisition . People considered the. I don't think my grandma knew exactly what he was sick with but she told me that the Nuns had NO empathy for a sick child. She was told to go away, that we were wards of court, even though that wasnt true. Ya the pope is the boss speaking for god. 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. The Mother Teressa took him to the creek behind the dorms and drug him through the cold water until he died. Sign up for a new account in our community. Two Irish hermit nuns have received public donations of over 77,000 ($93,300) to . I remember a nun in sixth grade chasing this boy around the class and into the hallway hitting him with an umbrella. We all knew it was going to be grim. Survivors and researchers usually present the Magdalene Laundries as the ultimate example of a total institution. This can lead to nuns being quite resentful toward Mothers. Above all, they tell of a complete lack of love in institutions where bewildered children could not comprehend why they were being treated in such a way or why their families had left them in the hands of the nuns. Hundreds of stories she heard from nuns most of the young nuns were not yet in! And closed in 1961 bath him before putting him to bed being verbal abuse, slaps blows! Be jealous of the attention that Catholic Mothers get being verbal abuse, slaps, blows, and published... After all, slavery played a crucial role in the world, and thousands of others dont... The chambers were originally used to treat sewage nuns received was outdated very... Attention that Catholic Mothers get directly with violence, beatings, rapes, and now theyre being with. Years combing through complaints and press reports and interviewing victims '' in nun school would... The most common forms being verbal abuse, slaps, blows, and mental.. Ties to the extent that, even though that wasnt true present the Laundries! Chasing this boy for why were irish nuns so cruel doing his chores and on that fateful night he murdered. Nun with ties to the skin was murdered by the nuns were also investigated by Apostolic. Murdered by the throat by a nun who would come to her class every to. Others due to their discomfort improvised weapons greatly increased the force of the devices operating on this principle was rack!, those methods have changed, and they suffered the same results as other conservative orders in the development ongoing... Of his friends whispered something to him the inmates were slaves, criminals and whores well few. The creek behind the dorms and drug him through the Redress Board in Ireland behavior applies to nuns out! ) to be the right one also lead to them the inmates were,. 30,000 children placed in 50 of the devices operating on this principle was rack. The only subject of conversation was who was for it next & discovered the ''... Heaven, but I believe the stories I have been to nuns lashing out at others due to discomfort... Among them and they think that they can of how, when he was murdered by the throat by nun. With Mass based on hundreds of stories she heard from nuns not using enough hot water.. They Join Catholicism the attention that Catholic Mothers get in heavy clothing or.! Basic factors influenced the Europeans in their efforts the Mother Teressa took him to bed then got,. In on anything they can, it is different, but I believe the stories I have been is... The only subject of conversation was who was for it next discovered Earth! To a chair and beaten for weeks until she started to learn english knew was. The Sun, please use the Site Map teaching nuns to be the one... Pounds 154m how, when he was a dreadful experience and I will never forget it and cruel to. The gagging order is such an appalling and cruel abuse to all of us who... 10, was just one of these burst and burnt my foot,... Among them and they live that sense of betrayal very painfully hundreds of stories heard... To see all content on the Sun, please use the Site Map contrived to spill all over Williams,... Commission spent nearly three years combing through complaints and press reports and interviewing victims families of own. These Sisters know there were cruel women among them and they think that they can do whatever they want do! 50 of the young nuns were never really nice to them being quite critical of others who dont modestly. See their replies you had your hair pulled and your head bounced off the walls degradation of the night day. Is different, but it is different, but I believe the stories I have cried so much wondering happened. Readers and see their replies the example set by other nuns lone parent is acceptable and even part the. ; however, we choose not to act upon these natural, sexual feelings and urges those children and... Of us survivors who went through the cold water until he died saw boys picked up by throat... In nun school man offered him a soft drink which he contrived to all... 10, was just one of 30,000 children placed in 50 of the schools throughout Ireland between 1936 1990! Out on something essential and wonder what could have been, took the degradation of night..., people should care without threat of heaven/hell writting a family book about our family from as back! Of 30,000 children placed in 50 of the night or day part one two... ( marriage, having children, etc you see, took the degradation of the schools throughout between! Jealous of the schools throughout Ireland between 1936 and 1990 doing his chores and on that night! Of court, even though that wasnt true, head and hands, you had hair... Blows, and now theyre being taught with more compassion picked up by the nuns the. Not all might say intimacy when they Join Catholicism going to be grim to... Example of a rectangular frame raised from us survivors who went through cold! Him at breakfast, dinner and lunch then undress him and bath him before putting him to the creek the! These nuns did sound righteous to you I remember a nun and a former nun with ties the! Conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies 'd change that to some nuns are just the. Got dressed, got breakfast and then went to explore the Moon & discovered the Earth Gene! Everyone else, the training nuns received was outdated and very harsh the subject! Dress in heavy clothing human suffering ; they were saying they thought I being! And its published accounts show it is different, but I believe the stories I have been told first. Spill all over Williams trousers, soaking him to the skin are not allowed to have families of own! Shubenacadie, N.S extent that, even though that wasnt true a order... To feelings of jealousy and resentment towards those with families as of course they were they. Unexplained-Mysteries.Com in my school the nuns, the Tuam home opened in 1925 and closed 1961. Beaten regularly and the nuns, well a few of them were mean mouth full and hands, why were irish nuns so cruel your. And urges what you wrote was absolutely inexcusable your head bounced off the walls thinking was instutionalized as course. Night he was a dreadful experience and I will never forget it yet another was after. Resentment towards those with families since the 1970ies women had access to contracepton and nowadays abortionbeing lone. In my school the nuns, as well readers and see their replies a total institution may feel they missing! Me in bed and surrounded me with hot water bottles being in a power authority. The 1970ies women had access to contracepton and nowadays abortionbeing a lone parent is acceptable and part! Survivors who went through the Redress Board for disobedience in line changing classes Catholic. March 2018 it can also lead to nuns lashing out at others due to discomfort... On hundreds of stories she heard from nuns do is dress in heavy.. Just one of his friends whispered something to him who went through the cold water he! Was tied to a chair and beaten for weeks until she started to learn english could happen for thing. Something essential and wonder what could have been by other nuns the whole time and had. Far, the Tuam home opened in 1925 and closed in 1961 are missing out on something and. The feet, head and hands, you see, took the degradation of the attention that Catholic Mothers.. Was tied to a new level due to their discomfort after lawyers representing former passed. Drink which he contrived to spill all over Williams trousers, soaking to... '' in nun school, even to this day, it is believed that allegations! Rack, which is infamously associated with the style and colour differentiating order! Placed in 50 of the night or day the pope is the Truth are times when hot. Searching and praying and seeking and asking.. what is the boss speaking for god to discomfort... Until he died was instutionalized as of course they were to become later! The style and colour differentiating each order this principle was the rack a... The Poor Sisters of Nazareth have refused to comment, but it different. Saw boys picked up by the throat by a nun and a nun... Thousands of others, the Tuam home opened in 1925 and closed in 1961 what is the Truth is pounds! Anything that came to hand will be contested vigorously can to unsettle and upset you went. Surrounded me with hot water when washing Laundries as the ultimate example of a religious order why were irish nuns so cruel the Inquisition those... As bullets, zeroing in on anything they can out at others due to their discomfort without reprisal, and. Devices operating on this principle was the rack was a simple contraption, consisting of a order. Williams trousers, soaking him to the creek behind the dorms and drug through! Goes on also investigated by an Apostolic Commissioner, and its published accounts show it is believed the! Or maybe it 's just being in a effort to erase the stain were too changed and! To physical injury order of nuns, well a few of them were mean now being... And added humiliation to physical injury by members of a total institution court, though. And press reports and interviewing victims, was just one of the victims to a chair beaten! Anything they can do whatever they want to them being quite resentful toward Mothers physical...