TIPPERARY (IRELAND)
MSN [Redmond WA ]
June 7, 2024
By Cormac Fitzgerald
CLOSE TO 300 people have reported instances of being abused by lay staff members and clergy at Spiritan schools, with the vast majority having occurred at Blacrock College and Willow Park Junior School.
The Blackrock College Union of past pupils released an update on its website today in relation to historical abuse suffered by former pupils of schools run by the Spiritan Order. These include Blackrock College and Willow Park, as well other schools such as Templeogue College and Rockwell in Tipperary.
According to the update (from the Restore Together group), to date 49 Spiritan clergy and 12 lay members of staff have been reported for abuse by over 290 people. Two priests have been jailed, though many of the perpetrators are dead.
“The vast majority of cases relate to Willow Park and Blackrock College,” the group said.
“As with many institutions involved with educating children in Ireland, Spiritan schools have instances where sexual abuse was inflicted on innocent children by those entrusted to support their welfare and education.
The abuse of children in Spiritan schools and its consequences are still to be fully dealt with.
It emerged in late 2022 that following an RTÉ radio documentary that 233 people had made allegations of abuse against 77 Irish Spiritans in ministries throughout Ireland and abroad. Of those, 57 people alleged they were abused on the Blackrock College campus.
The leader of the Spiritans in Ireland, Father Martin Kelly, issued an apology in November 2022 to all victims on behalf of the order:
“On behalf of the Spiritan Congregation of Ireland, I want to express my deepest and most sincere sorrow to every person who was abused by a member of the Spiritans, or by a staff member, in any of our schools,” Fr Kelly said at the time.
Following the revelations, Restore Together was set up to advocate on behalf of victim/survivors. The group says it works with the Spiritan Order to “bring healing to those who suffered as children and continue to suffer as adults”.
It said today that since spring 2021 it has been “working to raise awareness of the extent and impact of the sexual abuse in the schools and to extend understanding of what happened”.
“We have proposed victim-centred actions to the Spiritans for trauma-informed solutions to help rectify past transgressions. For many victim/survivors, the issue of abuse is not historic. It continues to shroud every day, as it has entire lives.”
A restorative justice template has been following in order to make “the path to reconciliation and healing easier”.
“We are trying to spread the message as widely as possible that, for those impacted, there is help available, you are not alone, you were not to blame.”
The group said that about 50 individual restorative justice meetings have been held to date, where those impacted with the abuse met with those currently in charge of the places where the abuse happened.
This was in order to “discuss openly and forthrightly the, now mostly dead, perpetrators and the culture of abuse”.
“These meetings allow any questions and concerns that victim/survivors have to be raised in an honest and safe environment,” the Blackrock College Union said.
Approximately 200 people have made contact with a view to engaging in the Restorative Justice process.
Restore Together has also called for a planned Redress Scheme for victims to be established immediately. The group also states that a documentation and truth telling process should be set up, as well as a memorialisation of what happened.
A preliminary inquiry into the abuse has been established by the Government.
Last year gardaí submitted 13 files relating to victims of historical sexual abuse at schools run by the Spiritan congregation to the Director of Public Prosecutions.