The girls were told to change into their swimsuits while the nuns huddled together in a beach hut. I haven't taken a drink for more than five years," he says. 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. He wasn't prepared to accept that it was the truth. Everything in his flat is neatly arranged - his shoes, his clothes, his videos, his crockery, his correspondence. Vera lived at the home with her two sisters from the age of six months until she was 17 years old. Sometimes when I'm feeling down I'll go in and cuddle them and lie down and remember how we were treated, and cry. Coming from a guy who feel he has the right to condemn, criticise and berate the practice's of nearly two billion people, have you been given Carte Blanche on this board? When my grandma first went there she only spoke her native language, she spoke no english at all. She hated children and was always hitting us with a cricket stump she carried around. This can lead to a lot of unresolved issues, and these issues can eventually turn into anger and resentment. He remembers Nazareth House as dour and cruel. The family book I am writting has so many of these stories in it I almost hate to put them in there. I was up at 5am scrubbing floors, doing laundry. By I said, 'Every bit.' However, nuns arent the cruel teachers they used to be. The woman owned me.. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Some of her therapy was paid for by the Sisters of Mercy, Sister Mary Juanitas religious order that has its origins in 19th-century Ireland and now ministers to the poor around the world. "Most of the nuns were Irish and though they were trained to be nuns they were not trained to look after kids, and that is where a lot of the problems were. Your post was so full of hate & sarcasm Im surprised you havent been banned what you wrote was absolutely inexcusable. 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. He has unearthed state archives revealing many complaints about cruelty and inspectors' concerns about "dangerous and undesirable punishment". I thought bugger that, I'm saying my piece.". 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!". "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. "I just want it out of my mind." 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. 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. This expectation can be quite a burden and lead to nuns being critical of others. In a symbolic trial in Aberdeen in 2000, one nun, known in her childcare days as Sister Alphonso, was convicted of cruel and unnatural treatment. The priest asked me his name and whether he was still doing it. Right to her death, Mum kept saying, 'If only I hadn't got ill.' She thought it was her fault. Celibacy is NOT normal for humans. If you were scrubbing the floor and looked up you could get a whack over the head or even be kneed in the face. Nuns are no different; however, we choose not to act upon these natural, sexual feelings and urges. Currie was horrified and took himself to the police to tell them about his memories of the place he remembered as the "House of Hell". Then you'd choke and the food would end up on your plate again and she would force-feed you your own vomit. These are major things, the experience was a severe danger to people's lives." - tuambabies.org Today I have all the soft cuddly toys I want, a room full of them. This can lead to nuns being quite resentful toward Mothers. I think the average age for priests and nuns in the US today is like 70. (11 Reasons Why), Why Do People Hate Jordan Peterson? I felt terrible all over again.". She also wants the Vatican to require Catholic leaders to contact police right away if they are confronted with abuse, rather than alerting local bishops or other church hierarchy first. NEW YORKAs a growing number of Roman Catholic dioceses across the United States investigate child sex-abuse claims against clergy and are releasing the names of priests accused of such crimes, another hidden problem has begun to surfacenuns who sexually abuse children. It is to be a test case, in which 11 former inmates will appear in court, and is expected to be heard in Scotland later this year. For a minor misdemeanour, children had to kneel down and face the wall of the main corridor while nuns passed. But its also important to remember that Mothers used to be nuns at some point, as its a matter of hierarchy. The excuse is that it was normal in those days.". We want them gone immediately, she said. There was nothing unusual about it. and so on. "I had three sons with my second husband. 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". Nuns indeed put in a lot of hard work. No one would believe how bad it was. The Mother Teressa took him to the creek behind the dorms and drug him through the cold water until he died. When finally a key was found, they went in: the room was almost as he had left it, and behind a plywood panel there were his childhood documents, exactly as he had predicted. It was only 30 years later, when other Nazareth House survivors began to speak out about their experiences, that his childhood and its bleak effects could no longer be dismissed as his imaginings. But there is good news in all of this. Last week, New York opened up a window for old cases with the passage of the Child Victims Act. January 22, 2011 in Spirituality, Religion and Beliefs. First off I'd change that to SOME nuns, not all. I believe in God, though". "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.' It's easy! It was bad enough in Newcastle, but after the war broke out we were moved to Carlisle where it was much more cruel. 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. Cases are being compiled in England, too, though there seems to be some reluctance to prosecute physical abuse. I was terrified 24 hours a day. Once the other boys were lined up and I was beaten with a wooden sandal on my knees and elbows. I think that's the way many of them were trained, in a very authoritarian church. Kathleen Batey's back is lined with a ladder of scars - they are the relics of her life at Nazareth House in Tyneside, received, she says, when nuns took off the belts buckled round their habits and beat her. He joined the RAF and although other young men lay in their beds weeping for their mothers, Aitken thrived: the military were "the first people who treated me as a human being. In those days the people were encouraged to bring their children to the mission to be schooled by the church and they children all lived there. But trying to be perfect always is enough to make anyone go a little crazy. Archbishop Mario Conti, Scotland's most senior Catholic churchman, has accused the former Nazareth House inmates of being seekers not of justice but of "pots of gold". I hope your not suggesting any of my post isn't true? 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. But theres an expectation for nuns to dress modestly at all times. It seems that, she, like Betsy Owens, might never have existed. So, its no wonder nuns can be so cruel. So I guess if someone can tell me why they are so mean and abusive that would be nice. They may feel they are missing out on something essential and wonder what could have been. This can lead to them being quite cruel to others, especially those weaker than them. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Get up to 10% off using the Booking.com app, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected product with this eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK April 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this April, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. All of these concern allegations of ill-treatment after 1964. The violence in the orphanage didn't seem exceptional to her, just part of life. He had lost his family, and letters from his siblings and his mother were never given to him. The papers showed a copy of a newspaper photograph of Aberdeen's Nazareth House. After we pray, we shake hands, but one woman refused and said I was bringing the church down. "There was a big polished floor, it was really polished. Why are Nuns so mean? When the child was taken to the dentist, he asked, "What's all this bruising?" See more. Nuns can be cruel for a variety of reasons. When I couldn't make out what they were saying they thought I was being cheeky and I got slapped and punched a lot. I'll also never forget her abject cruelty. The retired telephonist has never forgotten the summer of 1955 when the children of Cardonald Nazareth House in Glasgow went to Aberdeen on an exchange. There was church every day of the week. Contrast Naughty Nuns. 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. 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. So we sat on the sheet to dry it - we were only children. But that walk beside his old home provoked a rush of recollections. [.] The Sisters of Mercy taught the girls at her high school; the boys were taught by the Christian Brothers. An official inquiry has found that Sisters of Nazareth nuns subjected children to vicious abuse, humiliation and at times sexual assault of "utmost depravity". Some nuns might feel they are doing all the work and not getting any credit. But the fact remains, why were nuns so cruel? Rocketgirl33, I felt the same way I felt as a child. "We had wonderful parents. There is, in this context, an absence of any recognition that tenderness should be the norm in relations between adults and children.". Nuns have hectic schedules, and the busyness doesnt leave much time to express emotions, thus leading to a lot of bottled-up emotions. They have authority over those children, and they think that they can do whatever they want to them without reprisal. 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. They would use canes, sticks, the leather belts around their waists. Aitken, who now lives near Chester, was taken to Nazareth House after his mother died in the 1930s. Narcissistic people may also be quick to anger or lash out at others, which can make them seem mean. "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. Dispenza, who spent 15 years in a habit before becoming an activist against the Catholic Church, is bracing for an onslaught of cases against nuns, who typically run schools and orphanages, and spend exponentially more time with children than priests do. I know that they are supposed to be married to god and suchbut when you are married to a guy that is never around, doesn't talk to you, sets up impossible rules, and never has sex with youwell you would be cranky too. She, too, remembers children being force-fed, and also being required to work. These days the nuns look after old people. Her big sister saw her being lifted out of the water, "all cut and bleeding. They aren't children's homes any longer. ", What was it, though, that caused such cruelty by women? She fell, he was told. "We were skivvies, basically. A man who came in as a volunteer to help bath the kids started molesting me in the bath and in the toilets.". 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!". "The real meaning of 'dirt' was sexual abuse," Currie says, "I felt dirty. What is it that makes these Nuns so down right nasty mean? Try to be understanding and compassionate. 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.. This definitely made it much worse. Nuns took vows of chastity, renounced worldly goods and devoted themselves to prayer, religious studies and helping society's most needy. 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! Before pushing me in the nuns told me there was a mouse in there and I went totally hysterical. See Details 2.Why were Irish Nuns so Cruel? You could be hit for talking in church. 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. "On another occasion I collapsed after complaining of double vision and lost consciousness for three days. The nuns fell into two categories for me: 1. I'd come out and all the other boys would be laughing." "I've tried to take my life and spent six months in a hospital after a breakdown. That started from the moment I went in there. Give us an apology. Long gone are the days of teaching nuns to be cruel, and now theyre being taught with more compassion. The Irish Examiner newspaper, which has investigated the finances of the religious orders involved in running the laundries, says they owned assets in 2012 of 1.5bn euros ($1.9bn, 1.2bn). Wrong.. "You were thrashed about the feet, head and hands, you had your hair pulled and your head bounced off the walls. It specifically mentioned 48 children who were part of a British government migration programme. Nuns used crucifixes to rape little girls or forced boys to have sex with them, too. 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. "She especially hated me. Golda Meir, One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain. Her first night was marked by her younger sister's screams as she was taken off to a separate dormitory. 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.. Father Tindall, the church's child protection coordinator in the north-east of England, ventured: "Too much of the organised culture of the church was very disciplined and rule-bound, and gave an opportunity for people under pressure to use the language of discipline to be punitive. What gives? 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. They are recalling what were, after all, very public regimes of pain and punishment. ", Enduring companionship between friends and siblings seemed to be discouraged. Awesome teachers and kind OR 2. Only my opinion of course, but I'd blame it on a lack of physical and emotional shenanigans with members of the opposite sex. 5 Top The Silver Thong Member 33.4k She had worried about what had happened for years. (11 Reasons Why), Why Are Vegans So Entitled? This can lead to a cycle of cruelty thats hard to break. The man said he thought I was fantasising." Its not something thats public knowledge, but many nuns grow to regret taking this vow. "This isn't revenge against the Catholic church, we just want them to come out of denial. It was so tragic. Good or bad just jot one or two down for me if you don't mind. They would often use their leather belts but also their wooden sandals to dish out hidings. For being late for prayer. At Christmas there was jam. ", In the pre- and post-war period, orphans were often sent to homes run by religious orders, such as the Sisters of Nazareth. One of the heart-rending storylines of Paramount+'s Western series '1923' revolves around Teonna Rainwater, a Native American girl who gets tortured in a Catholic boarding school. The group refused to put the issue on the agendas of their annual meetings, Dispenza told The Post. The punishments accelerated, she says, after she and her brother began running away. They're at the annual bash of the contest's fan club. No one did and I was just told to follow on. Victims now have until age 55 to file civil suits and can press for criminal charges until age 28. When the retired telephonist recently began to make inquiries about Betsy Owens, the order responded by denying any knowledge that she herself had ever been there that summer. Its a shame, as nuns should represent peace, kindness, and gentleness. Why are Nuns so mean? "One of the worst things that ever happened to me was being locked in a cupboard as a punishment. Many youths vow to never be like their parents, only to grow up and mimic the very things they hated as children. ", She is outraged by suggestions that her motivation is securing compensation. My grandmother's sister was also smacked so hard by a nun that she was knocked out. 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. Mealtimes, predictably, were the occasion of routine power struggles between nuns and children. Now, 30 years on, he wanted the police and his solicitor to find those hidden documents because, he believed, they would confirm his recollections of his time at the orphanage. "As a precaution, in case I died," he made a tape-recording and put two pieces of paper in an envelope. "I don't want their money," she says. Claims of abuse have been made about homes run by the order in places including Newcastle upon Tyne, Plymouth, Swansea, Manchester and Sunderland. That is why I want to take them to court.". Other times it's more that the nun's reason for having become one is less about being 'called' than a try at redemption or willing away some horrible trauma in the past . His map also showed a plywood panel, a false wall, and behind that panel, he said, were some significant documents. This vow means they will not have sex or engage in sexual activity, leading to frustration and feeling trapped. In the grounds, he noticed that where once there were playing fields there was now a children's nursery. The Poor Sisters of Nazareth were founded in the mid-19th century in Hammersmith, London, to take care of the young and the old. Now the Sisters of Nazareth - the order also has houses in Australia, South Africa, the United States and Ireland - are the subject of an international campaign to call them to account for a regime of violence. The nuns were terrible.". "You woke up to this thrashing. Not once did the nuns ask why I was off school or what was wrong with me. "I didn't want money. I couldnt speak, I couldnt move.. There is still never a day when my sister does not fear being punished for something. Although her alleged abuser died in 2014, Finnegan said she still cannot bring herself to discuss the abuse openly, even after years of therapy and writing in her Abuse by nuns blog. Six years ago, Joseph Currie was wandering past Nazareth House in Aberdeen, the place where he, too, spent his childhood. Finnegan, a widow whose husband was a former Catholic priest, now lives in Pennsylvania, where she has run a group home for needy children and is the minister of the Celtic Christian Church. 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. So far, the Poor Sisters of Nazareth have refused to comment, but it is believed that the allegations will be contested vigorously. Most people would flinch from having to torture another human being, mainly because when we inflict harm on others, we share some of that pain (Credit: Alamy) Everyday sadists get pleasure from . That was when her main tormentor at the Nazareth House in Middlesbrough, Sister Laurence, died. Therefore, trying to live a perfect life is both impossible and unnecessary. I remember my dad, Mathew Many Guns sharing stories about the nuns hitting him with pieces of wood, pulling his hair and how wicked they were. Every surface is wiped clean. There are 55,944 nuns in the US and 41,406 priests, according to statistics compiled by SNAP. Many were young and pretty, and though maybe they were kind in their first few weeks, they soon became much the same as the rest. Its not easy being a nun. Currie is one of the more than 500 bringing the action against the Sisters of Nazareth and the other orders. 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. Cusiter became one of the former inmates whose evidence initiated the unprecedented criminal prosecution in Scotland in autumn 2000, when Sister Alphonso, appearing as Marie Docherty, was convicted of four charges of cruel and unnatural treatment. One of the questions I have is for the Catholics of the forums. To this day, she doesn't know what had so alarmed him - all visits were patrolled by nuns who remained in the room, like sentries.

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