tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8857216796720971555.post2139442991680082168..comments2024-03-27T18:06:06.369-07:00Comments on Mary's Blog: Priests are the new abuse victimsMary O'Reganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06111088825250138537noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8857216796720971555.post-87320224622201512282014-05-28T14:07:45.032-07:002014-05-28T14:07:45.032-07:00Dear Jane,
Thank you for your very thoughtful co...Dear Jane, <br /><br />Thank you for your very thoughtful comment. I'm so sorry to hear that you had a bad experience in the fourth Catholic school. It pains me to hear that violence was meted out for not being able to sing in tune or for poor handwriting. You might find this hard to believe, but when I was 8 and in primary school in Ireland, I was hit repeatedly in the back for not understanding how to do a close-word exercise in Gaelic. So, I can relate a little. <br /><br />The gentleman mentioned (at the public talk that night) that there had been some abuse at his school. As you say, he may have been surprised by his reaction. <br /><br />God bless you and thanks for stopping by my blog, <br /><br />MaryMary O'Reganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06111088825250138537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8857216796720971555.post-19945129356104613492014-05-28T11:15:39.380-07:002014-05-28T11:15:39.380-07:00This is quite interesting as I know both of the pr...This is quite interesting as I know both of the priests mentioned above. I will always say I have yet to meet a bad Carmelite priest.<br />Having said all that I couldn't understand for a while why certain Catholic situations could trigger intense fear and anger in me when everyone else was quite happy. I went to four Catholic schools and three were fine but in the forth the staff were violent. Children were beaten because they couldn't sing in tune or had an eyesight problem and poor handwriting. We were so constantly terrorised that some of the class were incontinent (at aged 11). This kind of schooling was not unusual at the time. What I came to realise that at 60 I still have a very cross 8 year old in me and the emotions are as raw as at that time. Usually they were hidden in my unconscious mind but could be triggered by Catholic symbols. The school was a fee paying convent school. Violence provokes violence which I had to swallow at the time. Perhaps the gentleman had gone through the same thing and was not really responsible and quite surprised by his reaction.<br />janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05480966555246917336noreply@blogger.com