In 1935, when Augie Merasty was 5 years old, Augie’s father enrolled him in St. Therese School in Manitoba. There, several priests and nuns subjected Augie and many other students to sexual abuse, violence, and neglect. Most shamefully, he points out, “they wanted to impress upon us that all this was for our own good and the will of God.”
Augie wants to be fair by mentioning that many priests and nuns loved and cared for the children. However, no amount of loving could justify systemic injustice—approved by the Canadian government and the Roman Catholic Church—that took children out of their culture with the express purpose of taking their culture out of them.
Painful to read,this slight volume cries out against the sin of those who said they acted in Jesus’ name and asks why no one stepped in to stop the violence and save the children. (University of Regina Press)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.
