A Catholic-School Veteran Tells All

In the 50's and the 60's, nuns in Catholic schools abused children in many ways. I went to Catholic school from kindergarten through 8th grade. Treatment seems to vary depending on the order of nuns. Some orders seem more loving than others. I was schooled by Benedictine nuns. They were mean and abusive toward the children, and to each other. As a second grader, I saw one nun crying outside of the the classroom and she left the convent soon after. I remember one child not wanting to eat his lunch hotdog. It had a coating like plastic that you could hardly bite through. The nun put it on the radiator for the rest of the day, then forced him to eat it after class, and mocked him in front of the other children. One child was mocked by a nun for not knowing his colors, in spite of the fact that it should have been obvious to her that he was color blind. We were brought out in a line to use the toilet. A small child, probably the smallest in our first grade class, asked to go to the head of the line because he needed to relieve himself badly. The nun put him at the end of the line, and the child peed in his pants. Then she mocked him. I was made to clean up a child who had vomitted. Once I bumped into a nun, and she grabbed me and shook me so I thought my bones were rattling. Perhaps they didn't know about Shaken Child Syndrome at that time. That was in the 50's and 60's. I hear that these things do not happen in Catholic schools today, but I don't believe it. Any kind of order that requires celebant women or men has got to attract people with mental disorders. Just look at the recent news about priests sexually molesting children. The bishops knew about it, and their solution was to move the offending priest to a different parish. I am embarrassed to tell people I was raised Catholic. Have you ever visited the Vatican? There are billions and billions of dollars worth of paintings in the Cistine Chapel alone. Yet, directly outside the Vatican walls there are beggers who bring a new meaning to being poor. They are physically disfigured, blind, dirty, hungry, skinny, you-name-it. The only eligious establishments I put any credence in are the little corner churches that collect clothes for the poor in their neighborhoods, provide food and shelter, and counseling. Churches that anyone can join without some archaic rite of passage. They are little non-denominational churches that revisit what religion is supposed to be about. It's not about raising money for some new velvet and jewel encased statue to adorn the altar. Until churches wake up and realize this, I think the future of the church is precarious.

Anyone who advocates violence against the those that are weaker, is an idiot who cannot think outside of the box. Jesus, never once, resorted to hitting anyone, yes He cleaned out His Fathers Temple, but not by physically hitting anyone!!! Someone used the excuse that, well, He was perfect, which He indeed was/is, yet what commandment did He give in admonishing us on how to act? Be ye therefore perfect, like my Father who is in heaven is perfect! This is not a suggestion, it's a commandment. To act, using only you're most primeval self, the violent self, goes against the beatitudes, the commandments, and the law of charity 1 Cor. 13. After reading this, judge whether there is any room to squeeze in violence at all. Remember what He said about children? If ye harm one of these my little ones, it were better for ye that a millstone were hung about your neck and ye were drowned in the depths of the sea. Rationalization is very dangerous and gives us false permission to break any law we disagree with. How absurd that we, as humans have devolved into creatures just a step up from some animals!

I too attended Catholic schools here in the mid west. I rarely ever had to be corrected for my behavior or my school work. Perhaps that's because I knew if I followed the rules, and went along with the program, there were no negative consequences for me. WOW, that same concept could possible be applied in real life...WHOA,! My question is this, Why are the juvenile centers and detention centers so full? I mean surely we wouldn't want to frighten those little would be criminals with corporal punishment would we? Heavens no. And OH DEAR, please NEVER allow a child to know humiliation or FEAR of authority figures. How cruel to ever allow them to experience such horrors. Get a grip people, while everyone is out treating Jessica and Justin to a trip to the mall or Baskin Robbins, all the while they are figuring out that if I scream loud enough or force my will hard enough I can attain anything I want. Perhaps in the future it will be your neighbors gun collection or big screen TV. But by all means don't ever let them feel threatened or fearful of punishment. I mean, Heck, you take away that Iphone and their Wii, they will be on their knees begging for forgiveness and mercy....Yeah right.

Just look at the world today

Will you please let up on Catholic Schools already?! I atted in the late 50's and 60's and only experienced one teacher who slapped children - she was a married lay person. the nuns at our school were wonderful, lovely women with our best interest in mind. The lay teacher? Our principal ( a nun) got rid of her by mid year.
I later taught in a public school and was shocked to see the principal with a paddle (in the lat 70's). Get over it! I saydo what works and if an occasional paddle cuts the discipline problems down then go for it!

Each individual who went to Catholic School is going to have a unique story. Nuns DID slap students, and priests physically abused the boys (not sexually). But those were the times. How were we to know when one of the nuns was in her period or not. After all, they ARE women. And doing without sex can sure make a man go bonkers. So, although there were legitimate physical reasons why these men and women grew hostile, it certainly didn't make attending school any easier. Of course, the butt-kissing students NEVER got punished. Again, those were the times. Today, parents are the ones to blame for their childrens' development. If more children wen to parochial schools, they would be better off for it. I attended school with the Jesuits and they are the smartest of the bunch. Of course, I believe that nuns and priests should get married so they wouldn't have all these physical ups and downs. They's be able to control themselves better.

I take offense at this. I attended a Catholic school in the 60's and never once suffered or saw any kind of abuse. I'm sick and tired of being the butt of jokes and comments about Catholic school treatments and unwanted advances on little boys from my priests. Let's hear it from other and about parochial schools and other ministers for once. This is getting old.

I take offense at this. I attended a Catholic school in the 60's and never once suffered or saw any kind of abuse. I'm sick and tired of being the butt of jokes and comments about Catholic school treatments and unwanted advances on little boys from my priests. Let's hear it from other and about parochial schools and other ministers for once. This is getting old.

Sorry about your expeirence at Catholic School but wanted to correct the babies and limbo thought. That was never a teaching of the Catholic Church maybe taught by your nuns or certain individuals. But never in the Catechism. And as far as your defiance against the Church read 1st Timothy 3:15. And yes I also went to catholic school. I'm fine!

And you're still alive---Imagine that !

I am so sorry that you had to endure that, LACKA, Although I was in a Catholic school that wasn't liberal with corporal punishment, I saw kids that did get spanked and I never forgot it. Like the author of this arcticle said, we felt EVERY hit, even if we weren't the ones getting hit. And, although I am white, I am a Sicilian/American and I was in a predominantly Irish/American Catholic school. As an adult, I have many wonderful Irish/American and Irish friends who mean the world to me, but back in the early 70's I had to endure daily ethnic profiling because I WAS the ethnic diversity. In 1972, The Godfather was the most popular movie and many parents wouldn't let their children play with me because they told their children that my family was in the MAFIA. I didn't even know what that meant. My grandparents emigrated to America in the early 20'th Century and worked very, very hard at menial jobs. Both of my grandparents worked 7 days a week for over 40 years with only Christmas and Easter off. Only 3% of the Italian/American population is rumored to be affiliated with organized crime, but because of that one movie, I was severely teased, not only by the children, but the teachers as well. At that time, there weren't enough nuns for all of the Catholic schools so the only nuns at my school was the principal and the gym teacher. The gym teacher was very nice, but the principal actually encouraged the children to shun me by saying it was my destiny to endure the punishment of the sins of my people! That's when my parents took me out of that school and put me in public school, which I loved! Also, when I was transferred to public school in 6th grade, my new math teacher noticed that I didn't know how to multiply or divide. He taught me within the span of a week and I never forgot him! Thanks Mr. Hearity! Private Catholic school does NOT guarantee your child a quality education. The teachers are paid less than public school teachers and they don't get good healthcare! I know because I'm a public school teacher now myself...AND AN AGNOSTIC!

I went to Catholic schools for all my grade and high school days. Yes, I got cracked a few times, but I DID deserve it. Would I want to do it all over again? Yeah! I remember kids that lived in the neighborhood I was from, and I remember them telling me all of the ways they got around things and how they got by in the classes they were in and the teachers, as a rule, did not really care, and would turn their backs and let them "pass". Well, I may not be the smartest person on the planet, but I did learn respect, and that you di dnot get by whn cheating. There is a price to pay, and everyone eventually gets to that point after graduation. I am not wealthy, but worked hard, managed 2 companies, and eventually retired from Purdue University with a small pension. I live comfortably, own my own home, pay for everything I decide to buy, and do this with my SS,my wifes SS, & both our pensions. We have not reached into any of our savings, nor do we intend to until we are forced by the Govt. Yes, we have lost our butts on investments, but we do not worry. Bottom line!! I give the nun, brothers, and priests credit. All of there teaching efforts,as well as the corporal punishment paid off. Would I do it again? YEAH!!

Well my , mzy! Let me tell you about "Jesuit Brothers, whom were the "teachers at the Catholic Militaery Schools I wetn to in California for four years! Man, the "Bothers", meant one thing and one thing only! You were there to learn discipline, respect and academaisc, bohth book-wise, and Miolitary-wise! NOTHING LESS, was tzolerated in any manner! Mysefl, as a young Cadet Corporal, learned "REAL FAST2; FROM A 2WISE-CRACKING SMART-ALEC2; that I enterened my frist term in, to a Cadet Corporal, after five beatings and two and half knuckle-whipping sortys, THAT WAS ITR FOR ME AND ABOUT 90% O FHT OTHER CADETS ON THE SCHOOL ROSTER! These Brothers, were also, on the other hand; 2great teachhers; great listeners; and great frineds and Mentors alike; but; if you "crossed them", you learned the meaning of "God's Wrath", real qucik, When I gradiated with full Miltary Honiors and applied for OCS when I jouine3d the Marines, I made the grade real quick, and "I DEFINIOTELY OWE THAT TO MY JESUIT BROTHERS", for if not for them, I think I would have ended up long gone in another direction, may GHod bless them all, and YES, CORPORAL PU(NSIMESNT SHOULD BE USED IN ALL SCHOOLS..IT MAKES YOU TINK TZWICE, AND THAT IN ITSELF; IS WORHT IT!!!

Capt. W. Macky..USMC RET.

I remember seeing the "board of education" hanging on the black board in my homeroom, but I never saw it being used. Despite this fact, I guess most students liked to tell horror stories as if to say ... I surrived Sister so and so. My hat's off to the Sisters of Mercy! They had plenty of mercy to deal with 50 students in a classroom!

Iagree with you. I a mother of three has experienced that being physical is not of much help. It makes a child more aggressive. The way you can teach a child verbally has more longlasting positive results than bing brutal and violent.

Any one that attended Catholic schools has a history, from verbal abuse to random agresive punishing like slap the face front co-schooler, humiliation whit nicks and other things no diferent to outside schools, but all results of the lack of autority,
on the force of the words, I have 3 sons, varons, they never have been treated on that way, and they are good persons.
Universitary persons because their dignity was no humiliated in public schools, "WHO PLANT WINDS, HARVEST STORMS", the violence is the cause for a sort of calamities because there is room for demons that promp to revenge.