Were Women Sexually Abused By Nuns?

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Two women who say they had been sexually abused years ago by nuns break the silence. Both allege that amid the scandal of sexual abuse of minors by priests, their stories have been overlooked. "It is a spiritual violation, it really is," Anne Gleeson told HuffPost in an exclusive video interview. "It steals your faith. I envy people who have faith.”

Another alleged victim, Patricia Cahill, also told her story. Several nuns were named in a report denouncing the sexual harassment of various minors disclosed by the Jeff Anderson & Associates law firm of Minneapolis. While the report focuses on the Archdiocese of Chicago and other dioceses in Illinois, perhaps these new statements may uncover a new wave of allegations involving more nuns.

Gleeson says Sister Judith Fisher, who was her eighth-grade teacher at a Catholic school in St. Louis, began abusing her at age 13. "She always described it as 'the love of God'-' This is the love of God, no one else will understand it," she recalls about what the nun said. "You think women are more maternal and you trust them more," she adds. “And when they do it gently and gently and paint it as something that benefits you, you believe it. It is a way to brainwash you. I have to believe that because if not, how could I be so blind?”

Judith Fisher

For her part, Cahill says that Sister Eileen Shaw, whom she met while studying at a Catholic school in New Jersey, abused her when Cahill was 15 years old. The nun was 36 years old. Cahill had previously been sexually abused by her uncle, who was a priest. According to her, Shaw was the first person to give her "alcohol and drugs" when she was a teenager.

Eileen Shaw

Cahill recounts that the nun made her think he was in love with her. “She said she loved me, she bought me gifts. She took me camping alone, we slept on the same mat. After reporting Shaw's abuse to the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth in 1994, Cahill received a $ 70,000 damages payment in an out-of-court settlement, CBS News reported. Shaw is no longer able to work with anyone under the age of 21 and was expelled from the ministry, according to reports.

For his part, Gleeson says he regrets that Sister Fisher - who died in 2004 before being able to appear in court after being sued by her alleged victim - was unable to confess the damage that Gleeson said caused her, causing her to attempt suicide twice, one when she studied in high school and the second time when she studied at university. Although she received therapy, she says that nothing has been able to heal her pain and tells her story to prevent this from happening to other girls or adolescents.

To contact the National Sexual Assault Helpline, call 1-800-656-4673.