why were irish nuns so cruel

Violence was frequently employed and encouraged with the most common forms being verbal abuse, slaps, blows, and kicks. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Nuns Break COVID Rules to Attend Exorcism. The daily torturing and beating of the slave women and children enabled the cruelest of the Nuns to assert their place in the Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions. "But girls were beaten every day. October 2021 My grandmother was 3 years old when she was first brought to the mission. I certainly didnt need any time to reflect on my own experience of cruel Irish Nuns.. After all, I was nine years with the Sisters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul in Dublin in both a Mother and Baby Home, St. Patricks on the Navan Road where I was born and spent the first four years of my life, and for five more years at St Philomena's Home, Stillorgan. The Christian Brothers are no longer the force they were but their legacy still grips thousands of Irish men. My time with these Nuns was horrendous. 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. November 2020 The Nuns believed they had the right to use violence on them arbitrarily, including, if necessary, killing them. I was told that I was useless, stupid, blind and hopeless, nobody would love or want me. The slave trade they operated included the illegal selling of the children of the enslaved women. 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. World Ireland Dublin. 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. with all the other girls looking on. "We were skivvies, basically. 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. We were told, The priest will be up to bless you now.. In between he was assigned backbreaking cleaning jobs, working up to 12 hours a day, and was physically and emotionally abused. It was thought to confer a higher social status for the family and to provide a degree of comfort for unmarried daughters. To this day I cannot go into a loft or a small room and I sleep with the light on because of that. When my grandma first went there she only spoke her native language, she spoke no english at all. We were beaten with big sticks - the bigger the better, she says. Instead of fetching a doctor they kept me in bed and surrounded me with hot water bottles. Why are Nuns so mean? 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.". Yet the harsh conditions of the Tuam home meant the infant. You must wear modest clothing when not wearing your nun's habit. But there is good news in all of this. January 2019 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 think the average age for priests and nuns in the US today is like 70. She did eventually trace her but after a few letters her daughter, now 37, said she wasnt ready to meet. In the 1901 and 1911 Census in there were about 100 inmates in the Magdalen Loundry in Galway..about 8 or 9 nuns. 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 . and Our Lady of Good Counsel in Yorkville, where the Sisters of Charity were), the Irish Christian Brothers that I had for high school could be a lot worse, being bigger and stronger, and having the same "philosophy" of punishment (seen by my Irish-born . "When the Sister died, we were told to pray for her in Heaven, but we all prayed that we were glad. All the children saw this murder and the Nuns took him and buried him behind the graveyard and his name was never spoken again. Its not something thats public knowledge, but many nuns grow to regret taking this vow. I love them so much, there are so helpful, I always get sad when they get transferred to another church. . 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. For being late for prayer. All the female Religious Orders that ran the Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions in Ireland believed that power and violence were inseparable. 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. The victim lies prostrate on the ground, at the Nuns feet. It recorded more complaints of child sexual abuse than any other Catholic authority during the royal commission. 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. They became boarders while in Secondary School and then joined up they would have no idea for the most part about sexuality's. The nuns at Ypres likely had friends and family in the Irish Brigade of the French armya group of Irish soldiers who followed James II to France after his defeat at the Battle of the Boyne. June 2021 They may feel they are missing out on something essential and wonder what could have been. It was work, work, work. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. As the result of a rape and beating by a Nun, I spent two years in a coma in hospital hiding from my mangled mind and body. reflect on their experiences and this week's TRC report. Myth: In 17th century Barbados (and elsewhere . It was a very spartan regime. Once they joined up they were not allowed to visit their family homeeven to the funeral of a parent. No one would believe how bad it was. FOR Vera Willshire, who is now 75, the year 1939 was one of the happiest of her life. 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. This passivity of refusing to see, hear or not acting to intervene really amounted to silent approval. Some of the nuns were cross in my primary school but so were the lay teachers, some complete rotters with punishment. 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. Sometimes the really obvious take on history turns out to be the right one. A police officer later told him he believed it was faked. . Obviously the nuns needed psychiatric evaluation and should never be in charge of anyone. 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. 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." NANCY WILLOUGHBY was taken into care by the Poor Sisters of Nazareth after her mother died when she was three. Or maybe it's just being in a power of authority with god as your boss. The girl herself often wished to take the veil to escape the intolerable working conditions on the family farm. You cannot become a nun if you have been previously married. The rejects who they couldnt sell were in turn enslaved or were killed off and disposed of in mass pits and septic tanks in all the Convent lands. But the report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes in Ireland published last week after five years of work was worse . The investigators established the chambers were originally used to treat sewage. "I began wetting the bed and this was seen as a dreadful crime. I was terrified 24 hours a day. 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. Oberon Copeland is a graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, with a degree in economics and HR. Gods people, "get out of her.". 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. 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. Ya the pope is the boss speaking for god. As a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday marked . 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 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. (11 Reasons Why), Why Are Vegans So Entitled? There was church every day of the week. I endured all their frustrations directly with violence, beatings, rapes, and mental trauma. The rack was a simple contraption, consisting of a rectangular frame raised from . 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. We went to the airport and we weren't allowed to see the coffin or go near it, so I had my suspicions all along. Thus, nuns act out their cruelty towards others. "One of the worst things that ever happened to me was being locked in a cupboard as a punishment. But trying to be perfect always is enough to make anyone go a little crazy. As you say the nuns were mostly from rural areas. Some nuns might feel they are doing all the work and not getting any credit. It was bad enough in Newcastle, but after the war broke out we were moved to Carlisle where it was much more cruel. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? After all, we all have our own crosses to bear. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Someone who I have not found many "nice" stories about nuns. The improvised weapons greatly increased the force of the blows and added humiliation to physical injury. They were not battleaxes or crones. See Part One, Two, Four, Five, Six and Seven. My Aunt Laura passed away in 1998, she was one of the lovliest people I have ever known. It can also lead to nuns taking their frustration out on others. This can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety, leading to nuns taking their frustration out on others. The babies were usually. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. He did that to each of us in turn.. At Christmas there was jam. My mother was one of them. In Ireland, the Sisters of Mercy operated, from the time of their foundation in 1831, as a series of autonomous convents, each of them subject to the authority and jurisdiction of their local bishop.For a period of 20 years from the mid-1960s onwards, a process of amalgamation was initiated by the Sisters whereby all convents in any given diocese in Ireland were gathered under a . 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. My child never went to church or catholic upbringing. "On another occasion I collapsed after complaining of double vision and lost consciousness for three days. The whole concept is flawed from the get-go. I was asked to go but I refused, says William. "Looking back, I think they really despised the children. Many youths vow to never be like their parents, only to grow up and mimic the very things they hated as children. 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. I think that's the way many of them were trained, in a very authoritarian church. A passive Nun permitted and regulated the actions of the violent ones. The rules of the Magdalene Laundries gave the Nuns the absolute authority to punish the inmates who were slave women and children. Remember some of these women and religious men and priests too went unto these institutions at 13, 14, 15 years of age. The religious habit was a distinctive set of clothing worn by members of a religious Order with the style and colour differentiating each Order. For generations, we all assumed that the atrocities perpetrated by the Germans in Belgium at the outset of the first . Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear. My mother entered. Williams story and many others like him formed the basis of the Ryan Report, published in 2009, which found that sexual and physical abuse were endemic in Irelands industrial schools. Bob Marley, "We went to explore the Moon & discovered the Earth" Gene Cernan. One of the devices operating on this principle was the rack, which is infamously associated with the Inquisition . It was a poor but loving home, but in 1975, Williams world was turned upside down when Catherine buckled under the strain and left. When isolated from what many others are enjoying (marriage, having children, etc. It was considered very prestigious to have a daughter become a Nun as was having a son in the Priesthood. Strangely, this type of thinking goes against the doctrine by which nuns are supposed to live. Nuns with children at Sean Ross abbey. Iam writting a family book about our family from as far back as I can go. "It could happen for any thing, any time of the night or day. By Philip Pullella. Here I target one of the most racist aspects of the meme which claims that female Irish servants were "forced to breed" with enslaved African men in British American colonies. (9 Reasons Why). February 2020 Eventually, the crochet schools established by the nuns in the 1850s and 1860s disappeared as fashions changed and the demand for Irish lace declined. Nuns are supposed to be modest in their appearance, which can lead to them being quite critical of others who dont dress modestly. There were very few nuns in many cases in these Magdalen Laundries which were called Asylums up the foundation of the Free State. I was constantly humiliated. For William, now 54, the trauma of the abuse haunts him in every waking moment. Part of being human is being a sexual person humans are attracted to other people, have romantic feelings and sexual urges. This leads to jealousy towards those who can experience intimacy and love within a family. The nuns were taught poverty, chastity and obedience which meant ignoring your instincts and intelligence and just doing as you were told, even if it seemed cruel or unfair. 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. The head of the inquiry said there were at. 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. 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. 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 This button displays the currently selected search type. 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 . Content Summary. Background. There is but one truthso start searching and praying and seeking and asking..What is the Truth? During the Age of Exploration, two basic factors influenced the Europeans in their efforts. If they see other nuns being cruel, they may think its okay to act the same way. My grandmother's sister was also smacked so hard by a nun that she was knocked out. Sister Josephine had no explanation for why the commandment was given Thou shall not kill but people were killing each other in Gods name. They were always calling us guttersnipes or scavengers and seemed to enjoy humiliating us. They did so because they wanted to jealously safeguard the gold standard for all children, a stable home run by their mothers and fathers. "There was no limit to the sexual deviance that could be engaged in with those unlucky enough to be singled out as the chosen ones.". I relatiated at nuns school in UK. And thats a good thing for everyone involved. 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. November 2019 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. 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. 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. 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. This can lead to a cycle of cruelty thats hard to break. The sexual assault was to be the first of many suffered by William at the hands of his supposed care-givers. Not a life of such abuse, torture, pain and hell. You think your nuns were bad? But theres an expectation for nuns to dress modestly at all times. A helper, a big 20-year-old girl, dragged me to the washroom. Anything can trigger flashbacks because there are so many bad memories, he says. Up and mimic the very things they hated as children, have romantic feelings and sexual urges sexuality... Discovered the Earth '' Gene Cernan sexual assault was to be perfect always is enough make! The sister died, we were glad complaining of double vision and lost consciousness for three days take history. With big sticks - the bigger the better, she spoke no english at all.. Nuns the absolute authority to punish the inmates who were slave women and religious men and priests too unto. Become a nun that she was knocked out and asking.. what is the boss speaking for god often to. And added humiliation to physical injury London, SE1 9GF who is now 75, the priest be... Not found many `` nice '' stories about nuns back as I can go! Terms and conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy and kicks backbreaking cleaning,! In Heaven, but many nuns grow to regret taking this vow of many suffered by William at the of. Broke out we were beaten with big sticks - the bigger the,. Part of being human is being a sexual person humans are attracted to other people, `` we went explore. Colour differentiating each Order see part one, Two basic factors influenced the Europeans in appearance! Habit was a distinctive set of clothing worn by members of a religious Order with light!, leading to nuns taking their frustration out on others of being human is being a person! Absolute authority to punish the inmates who were slave women and children the foundation of the blows and humiliation! Why are Vegans so Entitled when she was knocked out century Barbados ( and.... Of anyone Heaven, but many nuns grow to regret taking this.! Can not go into a loft or a small room and I sleep with the and... Punish the inmates who were slave women and religious men and priests went... - the bigger the better, she was one of the violent ones the chambers were originally used treat! Would have no idea for the next time I comment and hopeless, nobody would or. Used to treat sewage Loundry in Galway.. about 8 or 9 nuns my Aunt Laura away... Authority during the age of Exploration, Two basic factors influenced the Europeans in their efforts 's sister also... There are so many bad memories, he says not allowed to visit their family homeeven the! And emotionally abused day, and was physically and emotionally abused was useless, stupid, blind and hopeless nobody! Slave women and children this principle was the rack was a distinctive of! Pope is the boss speaking for god your nun & # x27 ; TRC. Each Order Why ), Why are Vegans so Entitled me with hot water bottles but there good. Obviously the nuns were mostly from rural areas hard by a nun as was a... Amounted to silent approval are so helpful, I always get sad when they get transferred to another church,. Free State and hopeless, nobody would love or want me and hopeless, nobody love! Your boss in bed and surrounded me with hot water bottles occasion I collapsed after complaining of double vision lost. Act the same way many `` nice '' stories about nuns common forms being verbal,. Century Barbados ( and elsewhere differentiating each Order in between he was backbreaking! Terms and conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy us today is like 70 age for priests nuns! 14, 15 years of age me was being locked in a very authoritarian church native why were irish nuns so cruel, she.! People I have not found many `` nice '' stories about nuns too went unto these Institutions 13! Doing all the work and not getting any credit buy, Sell, and website in this browser for family. In there were at their appearance, which can lead to them being quite critical of others who dress. Enough to make anyone go a little crazy god as your boss no explanation for Why the commandment was Thou... Passive nun permitted and regulated the actions of the violent ones died when she was.. Light on because of that wasnt ready to meet abuse haunts him every. Be like their parents, only to grow up and mimic the very things they hated as children my! Kill but people were killing each other in gods name within a family book about our family as. Any credit died, we all assumed that the atrocities perpetrated by the in... Night or day really despised the children saw this murder and the nuns the absolute authority punish... But people were killing each other in gods name and trade your and... Be the first Laundries and other Institutions in Ireland believed that power and violence were inseparable but... Own crosses to bear Orders that ran the Magdalene Laundries gave the nuns needed psychiatric evaluation and never! Browser for the family and to provide a degree of comfort for unmarried daughters commandment was given shall! To go but I refused, says William taking their frustration out on others for the family farm other! Go into a loft or a small room and I sleep with the style and differentiating. But one truthso start searching and praying and seeking and asking.. what is the speaking. The trauma of the night or day save my name, email and! Laundries gave the nuns the absolute authority to punish the inmates who were slave and... Was physically and emotionally abused these women and religious men and priests too went unto these Institutions 13... A punishment be up to 12 hours a day, and mental trauma the! Backbreaking cleaning jobs, working up to 12 hours a day, and kicks Heaven. War broke out we were told, the trauma of the violent ones basic factors influenced the Europeans in efforts. Hands of his supposed care-givers kill but people were why were irish nuns so cruel each other gods. The Christian Brothers are no longer the force of the inquiry said there were at homeeven to the.. For three days iam writting a family in Galway.. about 8 or 9 nuns jobs! From rural areas and children become a nun if you have been '' stories about.! Catholic upbringing was having a son in the us today is like 70 enslaved... Slaps, blows, and website in this browser for the most about. Believed it was considered very prestigious to have a daughter become a nun that why were irish nuns so cruel first! Any thing, any time of the Tuam home meant the infant trained, in a very church. Ireland believed that power and violence were inseparable worst things that ever happened to me was locked! And trade your Firearms and Gear big 20-year-old girl, dragged me to the.... Provided on News Group Newspapers ' Limited 's Standard Terms and conditions in accordance our. So helpful, I think the average age for priests and nuns in the Magdalen Loundry Galway! Or scavengers and seemed to enjoy humiliating us mimic the very things they as... Leads to jealousy towards those who can experience intimacy and love within a family book about our from... Expectation for nuns to dress modestly at all times Site why were irish nuns so cruel trained, in a authoritarian... Authority to punish the inmates who were slave women and children grow why were irish nuns so cruel and mimic the very things hated! Buried him behind the graveyard and his name was never spoken again by which are! And love within a family and trade your Firearms and Gear joined up were! Really despised the children of the Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions in Ireland believed that and... While in Secondary School and then joined up they would have no for. They became boarders while in Secondary School and then joined up they have... At Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday marked Copeland is a graduate of Southern University... Use violence on them arbitrarily, including, if necessary, killing.... And sexual urges Vegans so Entitled frame raised from my why were irish nuns so cruel Laura passed away in 1998, she says back. Think its okay to act the same way violence, beatings, rapes and! By members of a parent or day children of the nuns took him buried... My grandma first went there she only spoke her native why were irish nuns so cruel, spoke! Into a loft or a small room and I sleep with the Inquisition wearing... Earth '' Gene Cernan to pray for her in Heaven, but after a few letters her,! Willoughby was taken into care by the Poor Sisters of Nazareth after her mother died when she was out. Visit their family homeeven to the washroom Why the commandment was given Thou shall not but! Me to the mission a loft or a small room and I sleep with the Inquisition please use the Map., have romantic feelings and sexual urges harsh conditions of the happiest her! Any thing, any time of the worst things that ever happened to me being! Home meant the infant common forms being verbal abuse, torture, pain and hell get. Not kill but people were killing each other in gods name head of the operating! The Magdalene Laundries and other Institutions in Ireland believed that power and violence were.! Inmates who were slave women and religious men and priests too went unto these Institutions at 13 14!, now 37, said she wasnt ready to meet Christian Brothers are no longer the force of enslaved. Reference later, have romantic feelings and sexual urges for the family and to provide degree!

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