Nun Saddened by Accusations
By DEIDRE MUSSEN
A
nun accused of sexually and physically abusing needy children more than 40 years ago says the complainants have convinced
themselves the incidents happened.
Sister Bernard Mary, 69, who now lives in Christchurch, says she feels saddened
rather than angry about her accusers.
She says she first heard of the complaints stemming from her time at the Sisters
of Nazareth's home in Brisbane when she was the congregation's worldwide head in England three years ago.
After interviews
with London police, they told her they would recommend dropping the case.
"I wasn't surprised because (the allegations)
were so outrageous - some of them were impossible."
It was the last time she heard from police.
But some of the
alleged victims went public with their claims in recent months in Australia, thrusting her into the limelight.
Intrigue
was added last year when the order told a court hearing into abuse allegations that Sister Bernard was dead, later explained
as an administrative mistake.
She denies abusing children but says discipline was tougher in those days in all sectors
of the community.
"Say you had 50 or 60 children, you've got to have a bit more discipline than for one or two.
"The
children had some rules and regulations they were expected to keep."
Some of the children came from broken families,
some were unwanted, some orphaned.
They ranged in age from five to 16.
Sister Bernard Mary has fond memories of
her time at Brisbane's Nazareth House from 1958 to 1962 - fun outings with the children to the beach and other places.
She
is yet to meet any of her accusers.
"I feel more sorry for them rather than angry with them. They sort of can convince
themselves that these things happened."
The Sisters of Nazareth have apologised but denies any abuse occurred. Hindsight
hasn't changed the way Sister Bernard Mary would act but living with intense public scrutiny has been a struggle.
Stress
and broken sleep are frequent companions.
"The thing that really keeps me going is I'm not guilty and I have a clear conscience.
"And I've had tremendous support from others who were children in Nazareth House, great support from people in Christchurch,
my family and other members of the congregation."
She became head of Christchurch's Narareth House, an 80-bed rest
home, in February last year for three years, which may be extended a further three years.
Sister Bernard Mary's faith
remains stronger than ever. "It makes you pray a little bit harder," she says. So are others.
At mass yesterday, the
priest told her he would offer a prayer for her to help her face an interview with the Sunday Star-Times.
Sister Bernard
Mary originally trained as a primary school teacher but soon changed direction. Sisters of Nazareth had two homes for the
needy in her home town, Ballarat.
"You would always see the sisters with the children.
"I realised that's
what I wanted to do - look after those sort of children.
"As well as that, that was what God wanted me to do. It's
just something that you sort of know," she smiles.
============================
Unwanted Nazareth House Children
Sister Bernard Mary, Well I am saddened but most of all I am angry about
the abusers who are in denial from the abuse they did on the children boys/girls in their care in the Nazareth House Orphanages
all over the world.
Why did you not come forward when you
were in England and heard the complaints as you say from Brisbane, when you were worldwide head of Nazareth House, you heard
and were still alive and yet you still did not come forward.
Of course the abuser is always surprise when they first
hear us call their names. We shout from the hill tops while you still hide inside Nazareth House and behind the Roman Catholic
Church.
You must have heard and seen the news about your death, because in that year, you were then sent over to Nazareth
House New Zealand.
Well to think that you are having broken sleep because of your clear conscience is very rear indeed.
What about us, the children boys/girls who were abuse by the Nazareth House nuns/priest who have had broken night
sleeps as children in your care and still every night have these bad dreams, which you the Nazareth House nun/priest have
caused to us.
And then you hit the nail on the head by saying : Some of the children were from broken homes, some were
unwanted and some orphaned.
You say some were unwanted and that is just how we felt while at Nazareth House you had
kept that with you all these years, just like we did, the unwanted children always know about this and Sister …….
that was never news for us.
The Nazareth House unwanted children boys/girls, this has come from your lips and it was
shown to us as little children that we were not wanted by any one, especial from the Nazareth House nun/priest and the Roman
Catholic Church.
"I realised that's what I wanted to do - look after those sort of children.
This has hit me
with such force,
THE UNWANTED CHILDREN OF NAZARETH HOUSE and
LOOK AFTER THOSE SORT OF CHILDREN.
What the hell
do you think we were. NOT GOD'S CHILDREN, OH! NO. WE WERE THE DEVIL'S CHILDREN JUST LIKE YOU NAZARETH HOUSE NUNS/PRIEST TOLD
US WE WERE AND THAT WAS HOW YOU TREATED US.
She Dose Not Want to met
with her Accusers
Sister Bernard Mary, She is yet to meet any of her accusers...... She has not met her
accusers because she dose not want to met them, as she is hiding behind the Catholic Church Nazareth House Brick walls, in
an another country. She was the head nun of all the Nazareth Houses and when they were looking for her she took off to Nazareth
House Christchurch New Zealand
Sister Bernard Marv
This nun Sister Bernard Mary looked after the children
in the Australia Nazareth House and was the head nun of all Nazareth House in the world. She was reported as dead while half
way through her case and came over to New
Zealand. I will now give you some thing I have got out of the papers about her and if you
see a 60mins TV from Australia when she was found in
New Zealand, you will get this
from Australia 60mins.
.
This nuns is also
wanted in Scotland, England,
Ireland and Australia
She has not legally come forward to tell the world that
she is alive and in very good health. Sister Clare Breen did say that she herself was now head nun of Australia
and New Zealand now. Look here you Nazareth House nuns come
clean with the truth once and for all. I would like to know who is the head nun of the New
Zealand and the Australia Nazareth House Rest Homes?
Why don't you tell us that Sister Bernard Mary is not dead
and that Sister Bemard Mary is still head nun, not Sister Clare Breen. And most of all, Sister Bemard Mary should not be going
into mediation with the abuse Children of Nazareth House New Zealand, after all she is wanted in Australia. Why don't you
Nazareth House nun tell us the truth for once.
I for one have heard nothing but lies from you Nazareth
House nuns and come on you court judges and police take a very good look at the news papers going back years before Sister
Bernard Mary took up her wings in the sky (God forbid) and then miracle of miracle she came back to life to haunt the Children
she abuse in the 1940s to 1960s in Australia. Take heed of the different stores that the nuns have told us about her death
in court, what was said then and what the nuns are saying now and I would like the real head of Nazareth House rest homes
to stand up and tell us the truth for once.
Fr. Frank and a lady Pat had arranged for me to go to Church
on Sunday 20th October 2002 last week, so without hesitation I said that
I would go. I thought this would be good, I had met Fr. Frank so I should be alright. She picked me up for the family mass,
that was OK, but I could not stay in church for too long, I ended up so upset that I had to leave.
Stuart, I can not do it, I still see the priest who sexual
abuse me and as for the nuns, it all flows back as ifI am a child again, I just set and cry. It hurts me so much that I can't
stand to be there. I am sure to go to hell.
It is not the nuns nor the priest of today,
do I blame for what was done to me. But I would like them to know that I need to tell them and for them to see and hear for
themselves what was done to me by their Order of nuns, while at Nazareth House, how it is still affecting me.
I have tried and tried to forget about it, so it does not
come into my every day life, but it is something that keeps creeping back which is just as bad each time.
I thought that it would be easier with
time, but it is not. If only I had being killed when the nuns beat me up, because I would not be living a life of hell now.
They have not got the foggiest idea the effect it has taken
on my every day life. I know by watching them on TV. that they have taken this on to themselves. If only they could hear me
once and for all, to listen to my story and say ""Hay this is just like what we have been hearing from other ladies and men
in our other Nazareth House Orphanage's all over the world"
=============================
Nazareth House a "cesspool
of pedophilia" by nuns
We hear this time and time again = The nuns held "mock trials," = and we
the innocent children were beaten until we could not walk.
"father figure" and "mother figure" How true, as we put
all our trust for these nuns/priest and they used us as rag doll and destroyed our lives and still do today.
"solitary
confinement." I know too well about this and how frighten I was in the dark cold rooms and look at the counties and the many,
many years the abuse abd sexual abuse by the nuns and priest went on for.
Nazareth House a "cesspool of pedophilia"
Truer are have never been said as these before about the cold hell holes we innocent unwanted children we brought up in for
all these years
When will Nazareth House nuns/priest came clean and tell the world the truth about the abuse which
they did to us children.
Now What I want to know is why was not the canon law followed through with us children in
the catholic church. We were sexual abused as little babies children and young women by nuns/priest and workers for the church
and still we hear not a thing about the canon law.
We are treated like shit, walked all over and dumped to one person
to another si as we will give up with this reabuseing of us and the torment they are still puting us throught.
But
I yell you here and now we are getting stronger and we tell the truth about what went down in these hell holes catholic orphanages
world wide.
Ann
