What the Nuns Didn't Know

Could they have uncovered abuse? Not in a culture that kept them in the dark

Where were the nuns? This is what I keep wondering as priest after priest is accused of sexual misconduct. After all, the nuns were everywhere in our parish school, acting as mother hens, camp counselors, choirmasters and coaches, mysteriously able to see all, despite those white coifs blocking their peripheral vision. Without families and with no teachers' union, the sisters spent every waking moment with us, running an after-school program of word games, field hockey and making statues of the saints out of plaster of Paris.

If they were omnipresent, shouldn't they have been able to shield the boys from abusive...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!