Sisters of Nazareth

The Sisters of Nazareth are a Roman Catholic apostolic congregation of pontifical right, based in London, England. Members live in "Nazareth Houses" around the world[1] (Nazareth House in Rochester, Monroe County, New York, USA is not associated with the congregation).

History

The congregation was founded in the London district of Hammersmith in 1857 by Mother St. Basil (Victoire Larmenier, 1827-1878), a French nun, former member of the congregation of Little Sisters of the Poor.[2]

Activities and mission statement

The Sisters say that they have "been supporting and caring for those in need at all stages of life. We do this by living our core values of love, compassion, patience, respect, justice and hospitality".[1] Their mission statement is "We, the Sisters of Nazareth, aim to share the love of God through our ministries of care and education and our openness to respond to the needs of the times."[3] They list as their main focus in all regions caring for older people in Homes, and activities including providing flexible support for assisted living, care for children and young people worldwide, and clinics and food programmes in South Africa.[4]

The congregation numbers more than 280 members; as of 2014 there were 35 houses in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, and Zimbabwe, and six schools and nurseries.[5]

Child abuse

Allegations of extreme cruelty and sexual abuse were made in 1998 about Nazareth Houses in Tyne, Sunderland, Plymouth, and Manchester in England, Swansea in Wales, and Aberdeen, Glasgow, Midlothian and Kilmarnock in Scotland. A report was published on allegations of abuse and brutality at one of the order's homes in Queensland, Australia, over a 90-year period ending in 1976, including 48 children who were part of the British government Child Migrant Programme.[6]

In the Northern Ireland Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, the largest inquiry of its type in UK legal history into institutional sexual and physical abuse in Northern Ireland institutions that were in charge of children from 1922 to 1995, Module 1 investigates the Sisters of Nazareth Homes in Derry/Londonderry (27 January 2014 to 29 May 2014), Module 2 the Child Migrant Programme, which forcibly sent children from NI institutions to Australia where they were often maltreated and exploited, [7] and Module 4 (started on 5 January 2015) covered Sisters of Nazareth Belfast - Nazareth House and Lodge.[8] Timetable, evidence called, and transcripts are available on the Inquiry's Web site. In module 1 the Sisters of Nazareth admitted in early 2014 that children were subjected to physical and sexual abuse in institutions in Northern Ireland that they controlled, and apologised unreservedly.[9][10] Admitted offences included nuns beating children, making them eat vomit, beating them for bed-wetting and humiliating them by covering their heads with soiled sheets, withholding letters from children's families to them, and often separating siblings.[11] Allegations included sexual abuse by older children, visiting priests, employees, and in one instance a nun.[10] The senior counsel to the Inquiry criticised the nuns' "haphazard and piecemeal" evidence and their "less than wholehearted and rapid" apology.[10]

In September 2014, when the Inquiry's module 2 was examining forced child migration to Australia, Sister Brenda McCall, representing the Sisters of Nazareth, admitted that the order had sent about 111 children to Australia, and acknowledged that this was a grave injustice to the children and their families. A Sisters of Nazareth reference from 1928 stated that the scheme was also to help “spread Catholicity” in Australia. Sister Brenda said that the sisters “acted in good faith” in cooperating with the scheme and were assured by the Australian government and the Australian Catholic hierarchy that it would be good for the children.[12]

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sisters of Nazareth: Who we are
  2. ↑ Sisters of Nazareth: History
  3. ↑ Sisters of Nazareth: Mission statement
  4. ↑ Sisters of Nazareth: What we do
  5. ↑ Sisters of Nazareth: Regions
  6. ↑ The Independent newspaper: Nuns 'abused hundreds of children' - Former residents of the Catholic Nazareth order's homes say they suffered appalling, systematic cruelty, 16 August 1998
  7. ↑ Module 3, into De La Salle Boys' Home, Rubane House, Kircubbin, County Down, did not include the Sisters of Nazareth
  8. ↑ Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry Web site
  9. ↑ The Guardian newspaper, Sisters of Nazareth become second Catholic order to admit to child abuse, 14 January 2014
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Guardian, Children at Derry care homes were made to eat vomit, inquiry told, 27 January 2014
  11. ↑ Belfast Telegraph: Northern Ireland Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry examines Australian migration, 14 August 2014
  12. ↑ Irish Times:Nun accepts 'grave injustice' done to children sent to Australia, 11 September 2014