DE LA SALLES – STILL WAITING FOR A RESPONSE

Several weeks have passed and the RLSS have still not got back to me with a response from the De La Salles on a proposed genuine apology and simple solution.

To reprise, in 2021 IIRC  the DLS initially offered APOLOGY A. This was a curt ‘sorry’  to all survivors that didn’t actually appear until after it was supposed to have done and drew the criticism of even the Tablet.  When it did appear, it was buried in the DLS website and was hard to find.

A DLS  investigation was then promised to the media – which was a lie.

A proper apology regarding Bro  Laurence, head of the DLS who was sacked, prominently featured in the media, was promised and never happened.

Also, curiously,  around this time there was a longer apology which I’ve called APOLOGY B. Dated October 2021. See below.

I only came across it the other day.

 I’m fairly certain it’s different to Apology A, but I’m too bored by the lies and prevarication of the DLS to track the original down somewhere in the depths of the DLS site – and they may have removed it.

 I doubt hardly anyone has seen either Apology A or Apology B

A DLS Survivor had sent me a link

https://amethyst-maroon-4weg.squarespace.com/safeguarding

/wp:paragraph wp:paragraph

I’ve no idea what this amethyst site is, but it seems to be DLS connected. And I saw a further  link which I clicked on

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Statement on recent social media activity GB

I call this APOLOGY B

Statement “The Trustees of De La Salle GB acknowledge social media posts alleging historic abuse in De La Salle school settings. The Trust is also committed to cooperating with the police in any investigation into any allegation made. We strongly denounce the abuse of children and those who commit such acts. We realise that only the victim can fully understand the nature of the hurt and the damage caused by their abuser, especially when it has occurred at the hands of someone who was in a position of trust, being responsible for their wellbeing. Where a Brother or member of staff at any De La Salle school was responsible for the abuse of any pupil we offer an unreserved apology. It goes against everything that compelled our Founder to respond to the needs and challenges of the young people of Rheims in the 17th century”. October 2021

It’s an empty facesaver  written in October 2021 and is meaningless unless it is backed by action which has not been forthcoming.

The DLS has sheltered and protected criminals which makes them an organisation with a proven criminal past .And the RLSS is today sheltering the DLS.

If I shelter a person who has committed serious crimes that makes me a criminal in the eyes of the law.

One thing is certain: the DLS has provably lost its moral compass – assuming it ever had one.

DE LA SALLES SAFEGUARDING – THEIR MISSION STATEMENT AND THE REALITY

I’m hugely indebted to a Survivor who took the trouble to go through what the De La Salles proudly claim about their own Safeguarding.

Their own Safeguarding is separate to the RLSS – Religious Life Safeguarding – who act as a filter and a way of protecting the DLS from us annoying Survivors.

AFAIK, no one has approached the DLS  Safeguarding directly without the filter of the RLSS.

The time may come when I may have to consider reaching out to them direct, but their mission statement doesn’t  fill me with optimism.

This sentence in particular took my breath away!

‘We will be open, transparent and accountable.’

Below is the statement in full and the Survivor’s commentary as follows:…..

Nothing much on the official DLS site, but I did find this safeguarding snippet, my own commentary in square brackets:

https://amethyst-maroon-4weg.squarespace.com/safeguarding

The De La Salle Brothers are fully committed to protecting children, young people and adults at risk from neglect and from all forms of abuse. This commitment is based on our Christian belief in the dignity and uniqueness of every person and in the recognition that each one of us is made in the image and likeness of God.

We abide by the safeguarding policies and guidelines provided by the Roman Catholic Church [note that it doesn’t mention this being aligned with the law of the land]. Each canonical jurisdiction of our District will work to shared approaches and standards, but with local guidelines [guidelines only?] where relevant and necessary, ensuring compliance with national policies and procedures for safeguarding [weak wording probably authored by a solicitor]. They will carry responsibility for implementation and hold localised accountability.

We promote the wellbeing of every child, young person and adult at risk by providing the highest level of respect, care and protection that we can offer.

For all those who work with us, or who are in our charge, we offer a safe, secure and welcoming environment, one that is free from discrimination, exploitation, harassment and maltreatment of any kind. [feels as if protecting themselves is higher priority]

We will take seriously and report immediately to the relevant civil authority any allegation of abuse, including any disclosure of abuse directed at a third party. [vague if this means abuse of staff of children]

We will be open, transparent and accountable. [!]

We will co-operate fully with any official investigation into allegations of abuse and we will work to ensure justice for those who are affected by abuse. [affected… victims being the perpetrators?]

We will respond to those affected by abuse with sensitivity, respect and compassion and endeavour to support them in whatever way is appropriate. [endeavour is a word that weakens the statement]

We will respond positively to anyone raising concerns about our safeguarding responsibilities, or the conduct of anyone holding office within our Trusts, or acting on behalf of the Trustees. [respond is insufficient, needs stronger words, it all sounds very reactive and nothing proactive]

We always seek to follow best practice in the matter of safeguarding by continuously learning and improving.

We ensure that the necessary resources are available to implement these policies.

WHO IS THE HEAD OF THE UK DE LA SALLES?

It’s a simple and reasonable question  for a DLS Survivor to ask and you would think it was easily answered. Especially by the RLSS who claim they believe in full transparency.

I’m afraid the RLSS currently fall very short of the high ideals they claim for themselves.

They have not responded to my requests to know the identity of this man.

For new readers, Brother Laurence was the Provincial, the head of the DLS, but was investigated and forced to resign a few years ago because of the efforts of Old Boys on this site. This was because of his extreme and well-documented physical violence. His promised apology has yet to happen.

Could that be the reason we do not know who Brother X is?

Are the DLS and RLSS afraid Brother X might be also recognised by Old Boys and not in a good way?

I went to the DLS website to see if I could find a reference to him.

There’s nothing that I could discover and I found the site to be as archaic and impenetrable as it was some three years ago when the DLS` deliberately buried an obscure and abrupt ‘sorry’ to survivors deep within their site, which even the Tablet criticised them for.

Possibly if I spent all day on the web I could discover who Brother X is.

Unless anyone out there can help?

If he has an excellent and unblemished CV I’ll be very happy to say so. It would be great! I would be absolutely delighted! It would give Survivors faith that the DLS are changing.

Over to the RLSS? Are you going to tell us who Brother X is?

Or is there a reason why you are hiding this information from us?

Are you part of the DLS problem rather than the solution?

RESPONSES TO THE DE LA SALLE REPORT

Firstly, thanks to a Survivor of the De La Salles who studied their report and had this to say:

I picked up at Page 33. Para 41  ……… “so that all Lasallian institutions WILL be safe places……”

A careful consideration of the above infers that they were not safe places in the past, and more IMPORTANTLY  they are not safe places IN THE PRESENT.

Additionally they give themselves a generous 7 years to achieve this.

What about Stopping the Sexual and Bodily assaults IMMEDIATELY?

Secondly, an outsider observer who didn’t have the misfortune to go to a DLS school made some shrewd observations on the DLS report. As follows:

“That De La Salle document is more chilling and delusional than Scientology or the Raelians.That is a corporate rebranding exercise which, considering their truly dark legacy, is cynical beyond comprehension. They have consulted with PR people etc and they are gathering the flock, much the same as when bent coppers meet down the pub to get their stories straight. How  different  it would be if mainstream media approached the Catholic Church on the same level as the Process, David Koresh, Aum Shinrikyo etc, strip away the pretension and it’s the same bunch of delusional, repressed perverts clinging to some mad fantasy of sky gods, leaving nothing good in their wake.”

To which I would add that it does feel like a most expensive report, especially the layouts – even though it’s full of barely readable gibberish – which hardly mentions child abuse even though  the DLS have been frequently in the dock for their endless crimes against children in recent years.

It was as if the Mafia or the SS decided to rebrand themselves as good guys and employed suitable Pinocchios to do a corporate rebranding on them.

There’s no sign of penitence, humility and acknowledgement of all the terrible crimes the DLS have committed – including child rape – one of the worst crimes of all and the most common in the Catholic community.

Instead, it’s the same old clericalism loaded with arrogant self-preening and sense of divine mission that I remember so well from when I went to a DLS school.

THE DE LA SALLE SITUATION

Letter to the RLSS.

As you know, I’m still waiting for action where the Knights of St Columba and the priest Knights  are concerned.

As it looks like it’s going to drag on much longer than I had hoped, in the meantime I will turn my attention to the De La Salles.

I’m putting a copy of this letter on my blog for the benefit of other survivors of the De La Salles.

The last communication I received from the RLSS on this subject was last September, as follows:

DLS – the current leader of DLS has watched the interview we did and said he is happy to meet with you in person (this is something you mention in the interview). I would like to suggest a mediated meeting with either myself or another member of staff from RLSS (your choice) and I suggest we need to do a little work ahead of that to ensure everything you need from the meeting can be discussed / answered.

This last communication was so lacking in substance as to be meaningless. What is he actually offering? And I don’t even have his name!

What I and other Survivors need from the DLS is already a matter of record. It’s an acknowledgement of DLS crimes against children.

You have mentioned several times that you were making real progress with the DLS and you have asked me to be patient, but the years are passing and the above does not look like progress to me.

In a probably vain effort to cut through the deadlock and the endless prevarication which is the hallmark of the DLS and I fear the RLSS, too, I have a suggested outline below of what I and other Survivors of the DLS need.

Roughly as follows:

The DLS acknowledges and apologizes unconditionally – without qualification – for the physical abuse and sexual abuse crimes of Brothers Solomon, Kevin and James committed on pupils at DLS schools.

To list all the other DLS and lay teachers who abused children in a number of DLS colleges in the South of  England from the 1960s through to the 1990s would be an exhausting task.

And also  the DLS and lay teacher crimes committed at ‘approved’ schools run by the DLS in the same period in the UK..

So these three DLS abusers  are taken as representative of and typical of the harm that DLS and lay teacher abusers did to children at these various DLS schools for which they also apologize unconditionally and without qualification.

Furthermore, the DLS acknowledge that the claim made by their representative to an Ipswich newspaper, a few years ago, that there would be a proper investigation of the ‘unheard of’ allegations on my  blog has never taken place and was therefore untrue.

So too is the suggestion they are ‘unheard of’ as the DLS had certainly heard of Brother Kevin’s crimes at least at this time.

 All three DLS brothers were transferred from one school to another at short notice which is a well documented ploy by the Catholic Church to hide the crimes of  their sexual abusers of children.

Some details may be added to above on the nature of the trio’s crimes which are confirmed by so many Survivors and therefore  were never in any doubt.

Other Survivors may have some further suggestions which would be very welcome, but this seems to me a relatively quick way of covering matters and finally providing some substance and a solution which seems beyond the abilities of the RLSS and the DLS.

And also to prove that the DLS are genuine this time – despite their track record of deceit and prevarication, both of which I can give examples of. The bogus DLS apology that the Tablet confirmed, for example.

There may be a case for a subsequent meeting or for victim impact statements, but I think the above  needs to happen first and would be real progress.

I look forward to seeing whether yourselves and the DLS will actually agree to this statement, the details of which can be refined further with dates, locations etc.

NEW RLSS INFO ON SPIRITUAL ABUSE

In my conversation with the RLSS, they also provided me with interesting information on Canon Law and Spiritual Abuse and referenced Financial Abuse.

I hadn’t realized that Spiritual and Financial Abuse were both recognised as separate issues by Safeguarding agencies. I certainly experienced them as a child and they invariably provide a springboard and excuse for Sexual and Physical Abuse.

So I looked up Spiritual Abuse and found it was readily recognised by most Christian denominations, and they had numerous articles on the subject, see below, but I couldn’t find a single article on Spiritual Abuse from the Catholic Church. I was left with the impression they were above that sort of thing.

I did find a Catholic comment which said, in effect, we don’t have to concern ourselves with Spiritual Abuse because we have Canon Law to guide us.

At that point, I did wonder why I was wasting my time looking at Catholics’ self-delusion and self-admiration of their toxic religion.

As I’ve shown previously, Canon Law specifically mitigates child sexual abuse.

It says if the abuser was drunk or otherwise not in his right mind, then leniency should be shown.

This is in direct conflict with the Law of the Land.

The conclusion I’ve come from – from my childhood recollections and various quotes from Survivors – is that Catholics in power only pay lip service to the Law of the Land and, when they can get away with it, follow Canon Law.

Of course they endlessly deny it and obfuscate the whole subject with their customary smoke and mirrors. It’s deliberately not made easy by Canon Law source books being not readily accessible and expensive.

But it is Canon Law and associated protocols, including Oaths of Allegiance, which has resulted in the majority of Catholics keeping quiet about child sexual abuse, much of which is systemic.

If the truth was ever spoken from the pulpit to warn Catholics that Canon Law is morally and legally wrong in respect of abuse, and that they must instead follow the Law of the Land to the very letter, rather than just pretend to, with a private knowing nod and a wink, then it would genuinely make a difference and ultimately reduce abuse.

But, of course that will never happen.

And Catholics are probably not even aware of just how brainwashed they are. Despite all the obvious pointers for self examination – like actually being proud to call themselves sheep and reciting fearful prayers of guilt, obedience and supplication to their deity begging its mercy. ‘Through my fault. Through my  most grievous fault.’

Pursuant to all this, the RLSS had some new information for me.

Firstly, there is a book out on Spiritual Abuse

Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse: Creating Healthy Christian Cultures 2019

By Dr Lisa Oakley (Author)

Spiritual abuse is a form of emotional and psychological abuse. It is characterised by a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour in a religious context. Spiritual abuse can have a deeply damaging impact on those who experience it. • This abuse may include: manipulation and exploitation, enforced accountability, censorship of decision making, requirements for secrecy and silence, coercion to conform, control through the use of sacred texts or teaching, requirement of obedience to the abuser, the suggestion that the abuser has a ‘divine’ position, isolation as a means of punishment, and superiority and elitism’ (Oakley, 2018)

 Lisa is Chair of the Task and Finish Group for Spiritual Abuse at the Church of England.

There doesn’t appear to be a Catholic equivalent. Although I noted Scottish Catholic Safeguarding highlighted her work.

It’s from an Anglican perspective, but it is probably universally relevant.

It may be of value to Survivors starting out on their journey of understanding the harm the Catholic Church did to them.

In my case, I’ve already figured out just how powerful Catholic elites used Spiritual Abuse on me.  I’ve mapped out just how the Knights of St Columba, the De La Salle Brothers, a Catholic lay women’s organisation and others carried out their crimes on myself and other children in my era and later, possibly through to the present time.   

It’s specifics which interest me, rather than this book which didn’t get down to the real nitty gritty in my view. The excerpt I read skimmed over the surface, even with the anecdotes it mentioned. But then the Catholic Church is possibly in a worse state than the Anglican. For example, there’s the Catholic hatred of the flesh which manifested itself – in my era at least –  as abuse of children by organised Catholic women with both a sexually abusive and a psychologically abusive dimension.That would be far too gritty for this book which is written from a Christian perspective.

The other development the RLSS told me is that two Canon lawyers – a priest and a nun –  could be available next year for a recorded interview. So I thank them in advance for any help they can give me to facilitate this.

This interview is something I feel driven to do – pinning them down on the specific and underlying criminal nature of Canon Law and its oaths, and how it is clearly a license for Catholics to abuse.

The RLSS think there have been some very recent changes to Canon Law which may have already made a difference.

I very much doubt this. We’d have heard if the Church had made such major reforms, but I’d be delighted to be proved wrong.

Doubtless the Canon lawyers will mount a vigorous defence, but it’s hard to see how they can justify leniency for Catholic sexual abusers because they were drunk at the time they raped children.

The real challenge is getting the truth about Canon Law out there.

Survivors of the Catholic Church have no voice. There is a complete stranglehold on such truth at the Catholic Herald. They are not interested in our appalling experience of their religion. The Tablet is only a little better.  

But at least with an interview if there is a record of the response from the Church, it’s still out there in the world and if it’s not picked up on in the medieval times we currently live in, it’s there for a hopefully more enlightened future.

And it helps Survivors like myself understand just how Catholic criminals operate under the protection of and – as these perverts certainly see it – the blessing of the Catholic Church.

Catholic Financial Abuse is also a subject I would dearly like to know more about.

Not so much the corruption of individual bishops but all the charity tax dodges (like the Benedictines and the lethal Buckfast tonic wine) and how financial pressure was – and I’m sure still is – applied on children to do Catholic lay and clerical abusers’ bidding. Certainly in the Global South where the protocols will not be as strict.

In the States, lay Catholics make unlikely and boastful claims as to their positive role. As follows:

As in every other part of Catholic life, lay Catholics are essential to keeping the Church healthy and holy.

We have already seen that lay leadership can help address the Catholic Church’s biggest problems. The lay review boards instituted by the Dallas Charter appear to have nearly eradicated sexual abuse in the Catholic church. The Finance Councils must exert the same kind of influence in the fight against abuse of money. We should strengthen them however we can, because they can strengthen the entire Church. 

https://www.realclearreligion.org/articles/2019/08/16/lay_catholics_must_be_more_attentive_to_financial_abuse_110228.html

I don’t know what fantasy world the above author is living in, but in my direct experience unholy lay Catholics in the UK are a greater danger to children than even priests.

AFAIK, no one has written or investigated  Financial Abuse in Britain. How the Church operates financially is shrouded in secrecy as I’ve written about previously.

I featured a Vatican financial scandal linked to child protection which was disturbing.

A lawyer and a journalist were both mystified and concerned by the financial structure of the De La Salles and its ongoing connection to St Joseph’s College Ipswich.

But my personal interest is the Knights of St Columba who are on record as having established St Joseph’s College Ipswich and were intimately involved with the De La Salles in my 1960s era and then seem to have mysteriously disappeared from their involvement with the school, without explanation.  

So on that subject: I had recently speculated that free school dinners for us poor kids were funded by the Knights. Not so, it seems, according to a reader who wrote in and sounded most authoritative on the subject, stating that it was the Council who funded my free school dinners.

So I’m very happy to put the record straight there.

But that still leaves the issue of who funded my college fees and that of other poor kids.

Specifically, who wrote the cheques?

One thing is for certain, it wasn’t the council and all the indications and my recollections indicate that it was the Knights of St Columba.

The consequences for me personally were appalling as I’ve previously described.

A worse form of Catholic Financial Abuse is hard to imagine.

‘THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS NOT A FORCE FOR GOOD’ – THE MISSING CRIMES

Stephen Fry and Christopher Hitchens do a truly excellent job of summarizing the crimes of the Catholic Church in their debate ‘The Catholic Church is not a force for good.’

I’ve watched it before, but it certainly bears repeat viewing.

They are far more restrained and polite than I and other survivors would be. But it’s still very hard-hitting and they are to be congratulated for this most important work.

I was especially impressed by Christopher’s summary of the Catholic Church’s fascist crimes.

To me, this proves, beyond reasonable doubt the Church was and is a fascist religion and organisation. Even though it does, of course, hide its fascism today.

There were some MISSING CRIMES, too, possibly because Fry and Hitchens are not Catholics.

The first of these crimes – concerning Canon Law –  is especially serious and disturbing.

Not least because so little is known about Canon Law which is the rock on which this religion is built.

Yet few Catholics know much about it, outside their catechisms. I suspect most critics of the Church have never looked at it.

I’ve suggested to the RLSS that they do a zoom, talking to a Catholic theologian about Canon Law.  If necessary, I’d do the interview, but I’m sure there are others  who may be better qualified.

1.Canon Law. Canon Law specifically spells out its shocking mitigation of child abuse and more. It also links to brainwashing techniques such as Oaths of Allegiance which condition Catholics to obey.

Devout Catholics follow Canon Law before the Law of the Land.

This is the real reason Catholics stay silent about the crimes of their religion.

2.The modern torture of Gays.  Castration of children (Holland), electrocution aversion ‘therapy’ (UK – the 1970s) and Conversion ‘therapy’.

It’s reasonable to assume there has been more torture methods we don’t know about.

3.The hidden role of the wealthy Catholic Laity – like the Knights of St Columba. In some ways, priests and religious orders are the ‘front men’, the fall guys for the Church’s crimes, while the laity act as an Eminence Gris, the power behind the throne.

‘Follow the money’ is the rule to apply here. The vast real estate that the Church and the Laity own, how it was acquired, and what happens to that wealth is most relevant. Not to mention the tax exemptions for charitable status.

4. The hidden role of female Catholic Laity – notably in sexual aversion techniques on children in the 1950s and 60s and probably into more recent times. It’s part of a wider perspective which can be summed up as a fanatical hatred of the human body.

Inevitably that will manifest itself in criminal and inhuman behaviour.

5. The Conspiracy factor.  There are indications that child rape in the Catholic Church is much more than a crime to be covered up, or ‘collateral damage’.

Instead, it’s an ‘inner circle’ belief system, a philosophy, which no one is going to put in writing but is passed on from generation to generation.

It’s possibly encoded or referred to obliquely by some leading Catholics so its meaning can be denied or dismissed as ‘confirmation bias’.

If I had the time, the 19^th century writings of Catholics and Anglo-Catholics is where I would start as they were more open than Catholics today.

The external evidence for this is the transgenerational nature of Catholic paedophile rings which have been proven in Australia (a detailed academic study), USA, France, Germany and Ireland.

The UK is far behind – almost certainly because of our corrupt media.

KEARNEY, THE DE LA SALLES, AND THE RLSS

Mike Kearney needs investigating through the De La Salles review of  their past crimes.  This is why I am writing this open letter to the RLSS  today. 

Previously I have focussed on sexual abuser De La Salle brothers, such as Brothers James, Solomon and Kevin, but, of course, there were also lay teacher abusers at St Joseph’s. 

I fully expect the DLS to say they have no record of any complaints about Kearney.

Nevertheless, I would ask the RLSS to check with the DLS if they have anything on file about him. Thus they should have at least one report of Kearney physically attacking a boy.

Some six Old Boys of St J’s have given testimonies on my blog of his physical violence and sadism.  One exampled how he was punched in the face by this man and Kearney had to apologise. This is rather more than the typical violence of schools in that time.

He was also a RACIST as confirmed several times by one Old Boy.

LAY TEACHERS.  They were the responsibility of the DLS. As the DLS are RLSS clients, lay teachers also need evaluating as part of the DLS/RLSS investigation.

I have several examples on my blog of lay teacher abuse at St J’S Ipswich.

LAY TEACHER TONY HARDY: I’ve referenced him in particular because of the testimony below.  For three reasons.  Firstly because Hardy is using a special whip on a child which suggests his personal sadism and is also indicative of the unhealthy atmosphere at St J’s even in the late 80s. Secondly, it shows how the DLS covered up his crime by not reporting him to the police. Thirdly, it is possible Hardy may still be alive.

Therefore this case, in particular, the DLS and the RLSS should look at.  

Testimony of CS:

I attended St Joseph’s College from 86 – 90. I was at the school when David Hennesy became headmaster, he was a very relaxed guy and I liked him a lot. After our GCSE’s a few of us got our ears pierced – stupid, but hey we were crazy teenagers. We were in Birkfield house, Tony Hardy was the housemaster. He was a well known drinker and had a ferocious temper. After being told to take our ear rings out which we ignored as we were so close to school holidays we thought nothing more of it. One night Hardy had been out at a BBQ and came back after lights out, he pulled me and the other lads who had pierced their ears out of bed and made us stand in the corners of his living room. We were made to stand there when he went on a screaming rampage around the house. He came back to his quarters where we were all waiting frankly sh*tting ourselves. One by one he called each of the lads into his bedroom where he gave them all slippers. He then made me stand in a cupboard which he locked me in and then again went on another rampage around the house, when he came back hen made me stand in his bedroom drop my pyjama bottoms and then took a cat-o-nine tails out of his draw. He lashed me about 10 – 12 times with it till I was bleeding. The next morning when in the showers the other lads saw the state of what had happened to me and they took me to see Mr Hennesy, when we explained what happened he sent us to his cottage on the grounds and Hardy was got rid of that day. My parents were dealt with by the school’s solicitors and unbelievably agreed that as long as he never taught there again, wouldn’t involve the Police. I have never forgotten that incident, its stayed with me for years, I wasn’t a brilliant student at St Joseph’s, in fact, I was very lazy but that incident turned me off school completely. I also remember the Brothers, Peter I seem to remember having a violent temper. I did have some laughs at the school but that last incident scarred me.

MIKE KEARNEY CHEMISTRY MEMORIAL PRIZE: Although the current regime at St J’s say they have nothing to do with the abusive DLS years and therefore take no responsibility for them, nevertheless they like to ‘cherry pick’ and publicize positive aspects and ‘positive’  Old Boys from that era.

Thus they used to have a sign up outside the school ‘In the La Sallian Tradition’. It was this offensive sign, still associating the current school with decades of physical and sexual abuse by the DLS, that first prompted me to start a blog of the DLS crimes[PM1] .

I believe the sign has now been removed.

They also had a memorial prize for Mike Kearney, a proven physical abuser and racist, and guilty of other crimes I have previously outlined to you. The prize seemed to disappear during the Covid years and I would hope has been permanently removed.

Could you please write to the school to ask them to confirm the Mike Kearney Chemistry Prize has been withdrawn. Thank you.

They are far more likely to respond to the RLSS and I see it as part of your safeguarding remit.

It would also be an indication of your support for survivors.

MEMORY TRIGGERS:  What prompted me to write this current post was the RLSS recently not supporting the removal of a sexual abuser’s MBE. I understand your reasons, but the 14 year old boy inside me did not. It triggered his memories of Kearney’s crimes and has given me two sleepless nights, thus far, as a result.  That 14 year old boy angrily reminded me of the Kearney prize which is similarly honouring a proven abuser.  

It would be like having a ‘Brother Kevin or Brother Solomon memorial prize’ and is totally unacceptable.

The current school surely do not want to be associated with past abusers.

TIMETABLE:  Because of the complexity and sheer volume of physical and sexual abuse crimes at St Joseph’s College, Ipswich, during the De La Salle era, and also at other associated De La Salle schools, as I’ve previously indicated, I want to just focus on the Ipswich Knights of St Columba and their criminal involvement in the school first. 

As you know, I’m still awaiting their Safeguarding officer’s report on my allegations.

Once that’s been resolved, I will look at the De La Salles current position and what they are doing – or more likely not doing –  about the multitude of abuse allegations against them, including systemic, organised sexual abuse.  As you know, the DLS claimed in the Ipswich local press they were launching an investigation, which appears not to have happened. And your predecessor, the SCOE, also promised an apology where Brother Laurence was concerned. That hasn’t materialised either which I’m sure will have upset many who suffered at his violent hands.

However,  knowing full well how the DLS have in the past and are likely to continue to prevaricate and escape their responsibilities, I have to put dealing with the DLS on hold until I’ve resolved matters  with the Knights. Because I’m aware just how time-consuming the DLS will be.

But Kearney is the exception. As this man’s past crimes haveå troubled me and  given me many nightmares over several years, I have to get closure on this individual, and would appreciate your help in the two simple ways I’ve described.

Thank you.

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 [PM1]

St Joseph’s College, Ipswich from a Day Boy’s pov PODCAST

I recently did an interview with PIERS CROSS who does the EVOLVING MAN podcast. It has a special focus on boarders.

Many of the Survivors Piers speaks to are boarders and that’s absolutely right. Because they are children held captive at the mercy of adults. Especially so at St Joseph’s College, Ipswich, which attracted a provable unusually high number of pervert paedophiles, mainly amongst the De La Salle Brothers, but also lay teachers.

My interview is from a dayboy’s pov. For years I would wrongly believe that boarders were worse off than me. But boarders, at least, sometimes had witnesses to the crimes of the De La Salles as these perverts roamed the dormitories. Dayboys were also at risk, but it’s so much harder to prove because the crimes were committed without witnesses off the school grounds.

Fortunately, in recent years, the police believed my detailed testimony and one scumbag who was still alive was arrested, but not charged due to his infirmity.

I won’t go into further details that would identify him because I really don’t want to hear any ignorant responses along the lines of, ‘I thought he was a great teacher and a really nice bloke. And he never laid a finger on me. So I know he could never have committed the crimes you allege. I just  know he was innocent.’

Well suck it up, you effing idiot because that’s how all perverts work. And ignorant responses like yours help them to get away with their crimes. And if you think that going after the scumbag at the end of his life is somehow wrong, you should know the police and the judiciary think otherwise and I can assure you it was an excellent catharsis which still puts a smile on my face. I recommend it to other survivors. Justice, revenge, call it what you like, works.

Which just leaves one scumbag lay teacher left to go. He’s dead, so the cops aren’t interested, but I still hope to find some verification so I can ensure the criminal’s reputation, memory and legacy is rightly sullied.

If you think – as so many Catholics do – that ‘You should just get over it. It all happened a long time ago,’ I only wish that were possible. But hardly a month goes by without something triggering a daymare or nightmare about the creep.

Let me share the most recent which happened this week. The St Joseph’s College Ipswich teacher involved seems to have been in some kind of relationship with my widowed mother and – being a typically arrogant Catholic control freak – decided to act in loco parentis where I was concerned. You can imagine how a strict discipline wannabe stepdad went down with a 14 year old teenager! He was rightly suspicious of whatever I was doing and reading in my bedroom. After all, I was secretly reading books that were on the Catholic Index, like Swedenborg – which for Catholics is a really big deal and mortal sin, possibly excommunication, yadda, yadda, yadda.  So he had my bureau (very much the proud symbol of an aspiring writer) brought down to the living room so he could observe what I was doing and what I was reading. And, of course, what I was writing. I was taken aback by how angry that still makes me feel today. I am still furious! Blimey! After all, I didn’t even like the bureau very much – it was a shitty g-plan style from Footmans, which my mother was still paying for on hp (and had fallen behind on the payments) rather than a cool rolltop. Now that would have traumatised me for life. But I guess it symbolised my personal space which he was invading and that’s why it triggers so much anger.  I wish I could remember exactly how it all ended. I’m still piecing various memories and incidents together. But I know I would have made that teacher’s relationship very difficult, as teenagers are adept at, and eventually he effed off out of my life.

My last memory of him was when I was fifteen, kicked out of St J’s because ‘the Church’ (The Knights) had stopped paying my fees. And, with my brother, happily drinking in a pub by the Old Cattle Market and looking forward to going to a gig close-by. (It may have been Murray and the Mints playing)  He came in and had a drink. He had that hunched over, sad look that all male lonely drinkers have. Finally, he drank up and came over. ‘Does your mother know you’re here?’ ‘Yes,’ I lied to his ludicrous question, sneering up at him with a look that clearly said, ‘You can’t do anything to me anymore, you shit. So why don’t you just eff off?’ He slunk away into the night. And I had another pint to celebrate.

So that’s a dayboy’s perspective on the esteemed teachers of St Joseph’s College Ipswich. There’s more of the same on the podcast. Here are the links:

Youtube: https://youtu.be/XUCmeTEybgg

Facebook: https://fb.watch/ns-7fhXOqW/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3qwkfX5U4qL02nGDkFECZP?si=a3f2ceda3f634c44

KEY POINTS ON INTERVIEW WITH CEO OF RLSS.

There were seven key points on the interview. So if you don’t want to watch the whole thing, you may find them useful. They’re listed below.

Some came as a complete surprise to me and I don’t believe are generally known.

They’re all certainly relevant to Survivors of the De La Salles and they’ve ALREADY made an important difference to me.

If you watch the interview afterwards, we used CLOSED CAPTIONS which we would recommend viewers switch on. As there were a few minor sound variations in the interview.  The captions couldn’t handle IICSA or Carmelites (‘Karmalise’) but otherwise it was fine.

1.Any Survivor can go to ANY of the RC Safeguarding agencies and a Safeguarding Officer will find them the relevant department and person.

(Note from Pat: I put this to the test straight away on my complicated case and it proved correct)

2.There are OTHER options beside civil lawsuits which may be useful for historic cases.  They’re discussed in the interview.

3. Abuse CAN be acknowledged by a religious group WITHOUT the issue of legal liability restricting them.

4. If a religious group is blocking progress, the RLSS can ‘escalate’ to a relevant body – e.g. the Mother House, Rome, a Bishop, the CSSA.

5. The RLSS is trying to bring out the best in the religious group and get them to do the right thing.

6. The RLSS CAN arrange face-to-face meetings between a Survivor and the Religious Group in a safe and appropriate way. ‘When it works, it’s fantastic. It can be really healing.’

(Note from Pat: This feels similar to a victim impact statement.  I would assume that a video interview would be even easier)

7. With the support of the RLSS, religious groups CAN and DO sometimes go against their legal team’s advice in order to do the right thing.