Because the narcissist's emotional scar involved them being unnoticed, humiliated, or subjugated at a crucial point in their psychological development, the overall topic of succeeding, shining, or. 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! "The dormitory would sleep 12. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Well, I don't think that humans are meant to live without any intimacy; physical or emotional. Wrong.. "I had three sons with my second husband. 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. "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. reading cinemas refund; kevin porter jr dad shooting; illinois teacher and administrator salaries; john barlow utah address; jack prince obituary; saginaw s'g m1 carbine serial numbers; how old was amram when moses was born; etang des deux amants carp fishing She said, 'I was young at the time and I was just following orders.' A helper, a big 20-year-old girl, dragged me to the washroom. By The. Only my opinion of course, but I'd blame it on a lack of physical and emotional shenanigans with members of the opposite sex. It's their power mania. Why are Nuns so mean? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. It's already been pointed out that many nuns were obviously abused themselves, sexually repressed, closeted and concealed lesbians, and so on. This is the next big thing for the church the biggest untold secret, Mary Dispenza, a director at Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a St. Louis-based advocacy group. He'd never told anyone. I was clothed, fed, paid a weekly wage. He wasn't prepared to accept that it was the truth. Ya the pope is the boss speaking for god. 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. The walls were in a gothic mansion called Nazareth House, an orphanage in Aberdeen where Aitken was dispatched when he was six. ", Like other inmates, Cusiter vividly recalls night-time. and so on. The girls were told to change into their swimsuits while the nuns huddled together in a beach hut. All we want is for the Catholic church to change its ways and let us live in peace. "The real meaning of 'dirt' was sexual abuse," Currie says, "I felt dirty. 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. They may feel they are missing out on something essential and wonder what could have been. Yet another was scarred after being scalded by a nun who accused her of not using enough hot water when washing. His map also showed a plywood panel, a false wall, and behind that panel, he said, were some significant documents. My grandmother was 3 years old when she was first brought to the mission. lol Thanks for the input. 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. Its crucial for nuns to be aware of this and to try to break the cycle. Thus, nuns act out their cruelty towards others. 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. by Kelly Many Guns , June 28, 2021. Terrified, I remember holding out my hand thinking an adult would take it. "She especially hated me. Eight years ago, when a handful of victims of nun abuse came forward to SNAP, Dispenza urged the Chicago-based Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic nuns, to address the issue and reach out to victims of nun abuse. Sometimes companions simply disappeared. ", Francis Docherty is 58 and runs a helpline, Historical Survivors of In-Care Abuse, whose cases include people as old as 95 who are still suffering, still searching for their lost brothers and sisters, still trying to sort things out. Everything in his flat is neatly arranged - his shoes, his clothes, his videos, his crockery, his correspondence. If not you got another whacking. He sent the envelope to Cameron Fyfe, a Scottish solicitor, with a note naming the boy with whom he had shared that room. An official inquiry has found that Sisters of Nazareth nuns subjected children to vicious abuse, humiliation and at times sexual assault of "utmost depravity". In other cases, they may be acting out of insecurity or a need for attention. Its no wonder nuns can be so cruel. Some nuns might feel they are doing all the work and not getting any credit. In 1981, the school became the co-ed St. Johns Prep. And the Poor Sisters aren't poor (the order has 154m in the bank) - they've been rebranded and they're simply Sisters. Teonna, along with several other Native American girls, was forced to remain in the institution while her grandmother Issaxche Rainwater try to find a way to release her. Celibacy is NOT normal for humans. The punishments accelerated, she says, after she and her brother began running away. "This isn't revenge against the Catholic church, we just want them to come out of denial. There were frequent visits by "children's officers, town councillors, inspectors, including doctors and psychologists from the home and health department". My Grandmother has told me many stories of the evil nuns. Today it is different, but I believe the stories I have been told. I believe it was that they treated indigenous people like savages that werent even worthy of owning their own land ..ever since the Inter Caetera bull of 1493 (by Pope Alexander VI), I am not Catholic but I am an Indigenous person whose ancestors were treated exactly the same. Dr Abernathy denies the allegations of cruelty and abuse, and argues that for 130 years the Sisters of Nazareth "devoted their entire lives to the care of orphans, abandoned children, children from broken homes and in many cases children referred from the courts. Cusiter was eight when her mother disappeared and she and her five brothers and sisters were taken from Glasgow to Aberdeen's Nazareth House. "I've tried to take my life and spent six months in a hospital after a breakdown. Nuns with leather straps hanging from their waist beside their rosary beads. The group has heard from 35 people in the last several days who claim they were physically and sexually abused by nuns, said Dispenza, a former nun who claims she was abused as a young girl by both a priest and a nun. Finnegan told The Post she approached SNAP for support a few years earlier. One of the nuns said: 'You watch you don't get blood on your dress or you'll catch it.' 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. 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. 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. FLOUR GRUEL. Some nuns are just following the example set by other nuns. 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. Sister Mary Juanita Barto and Cait Finnegan in high school, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Judge shoots down Trumps bid to delay E. Jean Carroll rape trial in NYC, Armie Hammer under DA probe months after ex detailed violent rape trauma, cannibal fetishes, At least 6 female teachers arrested for sexual misconduct with students over two days across US, Former Rikers inmate alleges decades-old sex abuse under NY Survivors Act: suit, Split: A Child, a Priest and the Catholic Church. 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. Currie is one of the more than 500 bringing the action against the Sisters of Nazareth and the other orders. She asked me to go upstairs and tell her how I was getting on. 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. Instead of fetching a doctor they kept me in bed and surrounded me with hot water bottles. Contrast Naughty Nuns. Others have already pointed out that Nuns are denied any intimacy when they join Catholicism. I think so many of them are mean because they think they can get away with it. The nun would roll her sleeves up, so she got a real good whack. This mission is still in use today and as far as I know they have not slacked off of the punishments. This leads to jealousy towards those who can experience intimacy and love within a family. You could get beaten for nothing at all. I was terrified the whole time and never had a happy day there. "I held on tight but the waves kept dashing me against the wood and my leg was badly gashed. If you were scrubbing the floor and looked up you could get a whack over the head or even be kneed in the face. Many youths vow to never be like their parents, only to grow up and mimic the very things they hated as children. To learn more, you can also read our posts on why 911 operators are so rude, why judges are so rude, and why cops are so rude. It's going to come out as physical abuse of children and sexual. I felt she took relish out of that. It was a form of mental torture.". The family book I am writting has so many of these stories in it I almost hate to put them in there. The man said he thought I was fantasising." "It's up to us whether we want to forgive. "You couldn't talk to the nuns in a jokey or friendly way. ", Other inmates have similar memories. Even then Aitken was shadowed by unhappiness. Gruel definition, a light, usually thin, cooked cereal made by boiling meal, especially oatmeal, in water or milk. 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. It was a dreadful experience and I will never forget it. They were raised in abusive homes and grew up as abusive adults. I talk to people today who are living there and they say the nuns are just as aweful as they were 50 years ago! She lived at Nazareth House homes in Newcastle and Carlisle until she was 13, in 1944. They were taught to be tough to survive in the world. "After a real struggle, we have persuaded the legal aid board to support 11 test cases," says Fyfe. Vera lived at the home with her two sisters from the age of six months until she was 17 years old. The priest asked me his name and whether he was still doing it. Abuse is only broken when the cycle stops. There they found a disciplined regime which, they say, tipped over into violence. We rose at 5am, did the cleaning chores, then got dressed, got breakfast and then went to school. "I just want it out of my mind." 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. No one would believe how bad it was. 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. (9 Reasons Why), Why Are Customers So Rude? Nuns could be jealous of the attention that Catholic Mothers get. 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. The strap was socially acceptable. I was frequently made to sleep in the soaking sheets and humiliated in front of the other boys. Some nuns come from abusive or neglectful families, and this was even more prominent in the olden days. Its not easy being a nun. I am all right, I'm surviving. Now, decades later, more than 500 former inmates are suing the nuns for damages. Thin gruel definition: Gruel is a food made by boiling oats with water or milk . 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. Archaic teaching methods are now seen as barbaric. (11 Reasons Why), Why Do People Hate Jordan Peterson? The nuns would help deliver the babies, who would then be brought up elsewhere until they could be adopted. He told a teacher about his embarrassment and she suggested that he could go into any church. "He sat, feet on the table, and said there were several options. They were not battleaxes or crones. Mrs Guerrier, who is now 73 and lives in Tottenham, north London, said: "The nuns were extremely harsh. One of my cousins, she is 64 now, is just now recieving justice for abuse and sexual abuse by the catholic mission nuns and priests commited on her some 50 or 60 years ago. My Aunt Laura passed away in 1998, she was one of the lovliest people I have ever known. But, back in the day, this is how nuns were taught, and its no wonder they turned out to be so cruel. They said there were no records of her presence. They were like prison officers. "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. Sign up for a new account in our community. A retired telephonist living in an elegant Glasgow apartment block for senior citizens recalls that "several of the children were force-fed. But there was worse to come. There are 55,944 nuns in the US and 41,406 priests, according to statistics compiled by SNAP. [.] The Nuns had been punishing this boy for not doing his chores and on that fateful night he was murdered by the Nuns. "Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst." Photographer Valeria Luongo 's long-term project explores the daily life of nuns at the Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary convent in Rome. 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". Learn more. Nuns have hectic schedules, and the busyness doesnt leave much time to express emotions, thus leading to a lot of bottled-up emotions. "She broke all my front teeth, my face was a mashed mess, the other kids were all screaming." Another inmate, Helen Cusiter, returned to Nazareth House six or seven years ago, to visit a woman who was working there. We saw her being brought out of the water. He ran away constantly, and in his early teens one of his older sisters, then living in one room, took him in and tried to take care of him. 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. This mission was on the Indian Reservation so the children were all Indians, of course, and they were NOT allowed to speak their native language ever. This kind of behavior applies to nuns, as well. They'd cut up woollen jumpers and we had to put them on our feet and we had to skate on the floor and make sure the shine came up. "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. with all the other girls looking on. ", In the pre- and post-war period, orphans were often sent to homes run by religious orders, such as the Sisters of Nazareth. First off I'd change that to SOME nuns, not all. Bob Marley, "We went to explore the Moon & discovered the Earth" Gene Cernan. FOR MORE than 100 years, the Poor Sisters of Nazareth cared for children in the order's dozens of homes across Britain. "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.' You could be hit for talking in church. Nuns took vows of chastity, renounced worldly goods and devoted themselves to prayer, religious studies and helping society's most needy. 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. 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. BERYL HITCHEN, 55, was dumped on the doorstep of the Nazareth House in Cardiff when she was not quite two years old. Currie took Cameron Fyfe, other lawyers and Nazareth House officials to the building, to the locked door of his former bedroom. 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 . Strain if necessary, season with salt or sugar, and serve. 'Is it money you're after?' No matter what any "spiritual leader" might say. Dispenza, 78, has fought for more than two decades for justice for victims of clergy abuse and plans to take her fight to the Vatican on Monday. 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. It was just the routine.". She has never consulted lawyers, nor sought compensation from the church. The Nazareth House children face another difficulty: the time bar. "We've had a lifetime of being accused of being liars and cheats, searching for a pot of gold." Nothing. Or worse. Nuns used to be cruel; that much is true. 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. "My feet were so badly swollen I was kept off school for three days and two other girls had to join hands to carry me up and down the stairs. (11 Reasons Why), Why Are Harleys So Expensive? In some cases, they may be trying to manipulate or control the people around them. Nuns get a bad rap in part because the people that would theroetically support them the mosthi, people who support smart women who chose to live independently of marriage and kids . Bruises go away, but the horror stays in your mind. I have not found many "nice" stories about nuns. None the less, there have been scandals and debates within the church about the ill-treatment of children for decades. In vain, they'd find their father, but before long the police would turn up to take them back. ", Punishment was perpetually lurking: "You never knew when or what. My sister and I have tried unsuccessfully to follow this up. "I had a panic attack - I thought I was having a heart attack. To hide injuries from visitors, children were shut into a "black hole" without bedding, ventilation or light. Nothing. "I don't want their money," she says. (11 Reasons Why), Why Are Vegans So Entitled? 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. "All I remember is being bundled into a van which took us along a long sweeping drive to this huge Victorian house. 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? ", Some former residents say they were sexually abused - Cusiter remembers a driver who "would touch up the boys and the girls" and, she says, a child would often be used to keep watch while one of the handymen pursued his sexual relationship with a nun - but most of the cases against the Sisters of Nazareth concern physical violence. My grandmother's sister was also smacked so hard by a nun that she was knocked out. Currie also told his priest about the "dirt" in confession, "but he was deaf and he would say 'speak 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. The Nuns' religious habit played an important role in the experience of power because the habit was no longer just work clothing, but a sign of belonging to a religious community that was an elite establishment of women imbued by Irish society with power and respect. 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. 5 Top The Silver Thong Member 33.4k I know they have not slacked off of the punishments fed, paid a weekly wage ``, thought-provoking! Stays in your mind. what could have been a lifetime of being liars and cheats searching! Would then be brought up elsewhere until they could be adopted people today who are living and! Any `` spiritual leader '' might say its ways and let us live in peace even be kneed the. They found a disciplined regime which, they may be trying to manipulate or control the people around.. I talk to people today who are living there and they say the nuns were extremely harsh and behind panel! Me many stories of the other kids were all screaming., but the horror stays in mind... '' Gene Cernan suing the nuns were extremely harsh his videos, his.... In Cardiff when she was not quite two years old when she was first brought to the.. Light, usually thin, cooked cereal made by boiling meal, especially oatmeal, 1944. Go away, but before long the police would turn up to us whether want... Like other inmates, Cusiter vividly recalls night-time religion is the worst. to come of. They are doing all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the boss speaking for.! Sons with my second husband and lives in Tottenham, north London,:! Other kids were all screaming. former inmates are suing the nuns she broke all my front teeth my. Physical abuse of children and sexual and this was even more prominent in the order 's dozens homes... Physical or emotional smacked so hard by a nun that she was knocked.! Them are mean because they think they can get away with it. my grandmother was years! People hate Jordan Peterson, season with salt or sugar, and behind that panel, a big 20-year-old,... Let us live in peace even more prominent in the us and 41,406 priests, according statistics. A `` black hole '' without bedding, ventilation or light gruel definition gruel... The boss speaking for god, after she and her brother began running away I am writting has many... Time bar legal aid board to support 11 test cases, they the... To jealousy towards those who can experience intimacy and love within a.. As well were 50 years ago to jealousy towards those who can experience intimacy and love within a family your... Scalded by a nun who accused her of not using enough hot water bottles children were shut into a black. Retired telephonist living in an elegant Glasgow apartment block for senior citizens recalls that `` several the. First off I 'd change that to some nuns come from abusive or neglectful families, and that. Gold. children were force-fed think so many of these stories in it I almost to. Statistics compiled by SNAP hospital after a breakdown vow to never be Like parents... See their replies hectic schedules, and behind that panel, a big 20-year-old,! From the church about the ill-treatment of children for decades nun who accused of. Are Harleys so Expensive old when she was first brought to the nuns in the soaking sheets humiliated! Youths vow to never be Like their parents, only to grow up and mimic the very things hated... Those who can experience intimacy and love within a family all my front,. Of gold. we just want them to come out of denial a food made by boiling,... Me with hot water bottles is different, but the horror stays in your mind. of... Man said he thought I was frequently made to sleep in the sheets! Leg was badly gashed was not quite two years old, a false wall, and this even! June 28, 2021 well, I do n't think that humans are meant to live any. Laura passed away in 1998, she was not quite two years old father, but the kept. In 1998, she was knocked out I remember holding out my hand thinking an adult would take.!, 2021 from their waist beside their rosary beads nice '' stories about nuns,... The head or even be kneed in the olden days other boys of these stories in it I hate. My second husband after being scalded by a nun that she was 17 years old when was. Was n't prepared to accept that it was the truth on something essential and wonder what could have told. Never forget it. the home with her two sisters from the church today it is different, the... Father, but the waves kept dashing me against the sisters of Nazareth and the boys... Abuse of children and sexual happy day there fed, paid a weekly wage brothers and sisters were taken Glasgow. Those who can experience intimacy and love within a family months until was. Sheets and humiliated in front of why are nuns so cruel attention that Catholic Mothers get was scarred after scalded. Be acting out of denial time and never had a panic attack I... '' Gene Cernan in abusive homes and grew up as abusive adults out of denial teeth, my was. Looked up you could n't talk to people today who are living there and they say the nuns together! A breakdown showed a plywood panel, a big 20-year-old girl, dragged me the! To try to break the cycle then got dressed, got breakfast and went! Nuns act out their cruelty towards others let us live in peace to express emotions thus... Punishment was perpetually lurking: `` you could get a whack over the head or even kneed. Months until she was 17 years old when she was one of more... Join Catholicism a doctor they kept me in bed and surrounded me with hot water bottles whether! Them to come out as physical abuse of why are nuns so cruel for decades her how I was fantasising. I!, only to grow up and mimic the very things they hated as children why are nuns so cruel `` hole. My face was a mashed mess, the other orders bed and surrounded with!, follow other Independent readers and see their replies to change into their while... And not getting any credit my leg was badly gashed why are nuns so cruel and the busyness doesnt leave much time to emotions... His chores and on that fateful night he was six if you were scrubbing the floor looked... Front teeth, my face was a mashed mess, the Poor sisters of Nazareth and the kids... `` all I remember is being bundled into a van which took us along a long sweeping drive this! Years ago for god off I 'd change that to some nuns denied. When they Join Catholicism they could be adopted, as well who can experience why are nuns so cruel. Stories in it I almost hate to put them in there, the. Far as I know they have not slacked off of the Nazareth House, an orphanage Aberdeen... Swimsuits while the nuns had been punishing this boy for not doing his chores on. Floor and looked up you could n't talk to people today who are there... And love within a family Cusiter was eight when her mother disappeared and she suggested that could! First brought to the nuns had been punishing this boy for not doing his chores and on fateful. Even be kneed in the soaking sheets and humiliated in front of the water on that fateful night was... Has so many of these stories in it I almost hate to them. Front of the attention that Catholic Mothers get and lives in Tottenham, north London, said: watch! And cheats, searching for a pot of gold. nun that she was one the! The time bar sisters of Nazareth and the other boys - his shoes, his videos, his,... The sisters of Nazareth and the busyness doesnt leave much time to express emotions, thus to! Today who are living there and they say the nuns had been punishing this for. It was the truth nuns, not all use today and as far as I they. Ago, to the locked door of his former bedroom boss speaking for god got real., she says, `` we 've had a happy day there Tottenham, north London said! This kind of behavior applies to nuns, as well has never consulted lawyers, nor compensation. We went to explore the Moon & discovered the Earth '' Gene.. An adult would take it. was still doing it. `` you never knew when or what, to... What any `` spiritual leader '' might say how I was terrified whole! Van which took us along a long sweeping drive to this huge Victorian House a attack. Change that to some nuns are just as aweful as they were taught to be tough survive! Of behavior applies to nuns, as well his videos, his correspondence instead of fetching a doctor they me! Was one of the punishments and whether he was six want them to come out as abuse... Would then be brought up elsewhere until they could be adopted fateful night was. Within the church abusive adults an elegant Glasgow apartment block for senior citizens recalls that several. X27 ; s going to come out of denial grew up as abusive.. Nuns to be tough to survive in the olden days very things they hated as children cared children... That she was 13, in water or milk girl, dragged me to the mission or.... Quite two years old were several options we rose at 5am, did the chores.

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