Convent Schools

[GlitterFluff]

Sister Ann also threw a blackboard rubber at us in the 90s

 

[BabeTakeTwo]

To quote the prophet Bruce of Springsteen who said he "came to ruefully and bemusedly understand that once you're a Catholic you're always a Catholic ... I don't participate in my religion but I know somewhere... deep inside... I'm still on the team."

Oh my goodness yes, this ... I don't practice as a Catholic, but I still am... It's still part of who I am.

 

[HotesTilaire]

Ah c’est bon, le bon dieu!

once walked up to the blackboard and the crucifix above fell off and smashed at my feet

 

[Brian Butterfield]

Ah c’est bon, le bon dieu!

Hotes! Are you a fellow convent girl, too?

 

[BabeTakeTwo]

@Brian Butterfield

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I have just remembered my friend's older sister telling us about Sister Faith!!!! Her sister was about 4 years above us so got to experience the senior school and scare us

I swear I have so much locked up in my brain that slowly comes trickling out

My one act of rebellion was setting off a stink bomb in the music room one year

Did you have the straw boater hats as part of your summer uniform when you were at ND?

We turned on the bunsen burners one lunch time - that was as bad as I got ... Silly girl. Someone set off the fire alarm - can't remember the punishment - we all had punishment as no one would admit to it, and no one would dob them in.

 

[Stillwater]

I will always say I am Catholic. I haven’t been to mass regularly since I left home at 18 (I’m 47).

 

[GlitterFluff]

Your school sounded lovely ...

I feel the same in that I don't attend Mass weekly, or regularly but occasionally I'll say to Hubs I need to go light some candles, or just go and sit in a Church. I didn't feel that as a young adult, or in my 30's, 40's etc but I get comfort from the peace, the smell... I find a CofE service more joyful than our Mass. I love the Christmas candlelit services, but still go to our church at Easter.

I feel Catholic always - if I'm asked I'll say
"I'm catholic", and yet I don't live my life through the Church. What a tangled web ....

Even though I fundamentally hate the Catholic Church for all the horrible things it's done, a dark, dark side of me would love to have a Catholic wedding so we can have all the hymns and prayers and suffering and boredom and everyone can experience the hell of my childhood mass experience

But I shan't.

I think that school was lovely but it's possible I've romanticised it as it was 30 years since I was there.

 

[HotesTilaire]

Hotes! Are you a fellow convent girl, too?

Yes why are there so many SND schools those nuns are obsessed.

 

[GlitterFluff]

I really hate the Catholic Church hate, like I understand there are a lot of terrible people, terrible harms etc but some people just straight up ask ”who did you priest abuse? Were you abused or was it the altar boys” we had some lovely kindly priests who have never been accused (and they’re now dead) all institutions had and have potential to harbour wronguns FFS.

Obviously pretty much all nuns are awful (except Sister Mary and Sister Kath, who were lovely).

It ended up being our geography teacher who was done for heinous things. This would have been in the early 2000s - he had worked at a boys's school in the 70s and you can work out the rest.

That wasn't at a convent - just a standard girls' school (that allegedly he had moved to in order to avoid temptation )

 

[HotesTilaire]

Ours was fully private and I think because it was in a 'nice' area of Surrey it attracted lots of local families so although it was Catholic convent, kids weren't sent there purely for that reason - it was just a decent school in leafy Surrey.

I think the prep school was slightly more 'nunny' than the senior school. Our headmistress was a Sister as were a large number of the teachers, albeit there were some more civilian teachers. Sister Julia used to mooch around with her Golden Retrievers (I'm sure one was called Sheba!)

We had a lovely lawn that went down to a river.

I remember lots of religious relics, lots of praying, LOTS of chapel. Chapel was on a Wednesday morning and we had to all trek across in class order. It was a massive deal in prep school if you were being prepped for First Communion (I wasn't because although my dad was Irish Catholic, my mum was Jewish so )

Some of the nuns were savage and clearly hated girls, but I think having the civilian teachers introduces a balance so we weren't all completely terrorised!

There were a few blackboard rubber lobbing incidents but I don't think I'm particularly traumatised by it!

Overall, I have very fond memories of that school. I made friends that I'm still friends with to this day. I am not religious in any way, but I find a weird comfort on the off occasion that I do go to Church. The RC church has done so much harm over the years and continues to do so but I still find a weird peace going into churches

We have a fair few mixed marriages up here, I know girls who’ve been christened as well as had a bat mitzvah

 

[Stillwater]

The Church does not deserve its faithful. That’s my perspective on it.

I’m not practising but I can’t shake it entirely. I’m alright with that.

 

[BabeTakeTwo]

I happened to look for some photos tonight online for the sites I was schooled at and there are 2 FB groups - I'll have a look on those if they accept me ... For a start I couldn't remember my class form names... Says a lot...

I was thinking of my Paternal grandparents today - they had not been allowed to marry due to my Nan being Catholic and my Grandad was CofE. My Grandad met and married someone else, but she passed away - my Grandad happened to meet with my Nan at some point, as she was then considered a spinster and unlikely to marry her parents agreed. Still not happy at the religious aspect but they married and had my Dad.

When my parents met, my Maternal grandparents didn't wish my Mum to marry my Dad - it was made clear from the start that any children would be Catholic. My Paternal Nan insisted on that. So they also met opposition due to religion

We didn't attend Catholic Primary/Junior schools - we had Catholic education at the local Catholic school attached to our Church. I'll ask my Mum about this, as I never understood why we didn't go to a Church school then, but we did from age 11.

Going to a convent at age 11 was a shock - very strict, even though my parents were also strict, the Nuns were a whole new ball game. Most girls I met had been to catholic school from the start - in some ways it set myself and my sisters apart but also the same as others that had been in the same boat.

Our senior school also had links to a Catholic care home - some of my peers were girls that were in care.

I think the only thing that got me through my school years was the other girls - most of us very similar in our thinking - just wanted to keep out of trouble of the Sisters and get through each week. Don't remember any bullying - not like what you read about today . Quite often 2 alpha girls would square up and there would be a fight... I've never seen men fight like girls can!

Has been interesting to read here.. Thank you for the thread GlitterFluff x

 

[BabeTakeTwo]

Many years ago I watched the film The Magdalene Sisters with my Dad - so naive to the happenings of the past, and also the present if I'm honest. Only as I've got older that these things hit me hard - like a terrible shame that I am a Catholic too, how can I be part of this "thing" that has caused so much misery and hate to so many.

My Dad sat in silence after, I asked him if he knew of these launderies, he said he did but didn't think that they had been bad places to be.

I'm not able to reconcile those feelings of what I was taught, to the actual dealings of the Church. I can't change it, I can only change my thinking to bring peace to my heart.

Strangely as a Family we don't talk about us not attending Mass often. I asked my Dad last year did he want to go to Good Friday, and Easter Sunday - that was nice, and nice to have done with him too. My Mum is CofE - my Mum knew that any children would need to brought up Catholic. My Nan and Grandad didn't want my Mum to marry my Dad - too much religion they felt. They were the best... That's a whole other talk...

 

[GlitterFluff]

The Church does not deserve its faithful. That’s my perspective on it.

I’m not practising but I can’t shake it entirely. I’m alright with that.

I never thought to put it like that, but that resonates with me

 

[GlitterFluff]

We had to say Hail Mary every morning and the Lord's Prayer at the end of the day and the two are ingrained in my brain 30 years later. I also know an offensive number of hymns so on the occasion I find myself in Church I can sing a scary number without the hymn book

Such life skills!

 

[GlitterFluff]

Just because we like reminiscing and discussing the great and the evil of convent schools and not wishing to de-rail the Jodie Marsh thread

 

[Brian Butterfield]

Sister Ann also threw a blackboard rubber at us in the 90s

And whacked on the hands with wooden rulers!

 

[Stillwater]

Catherine Coldstream

Oddly I think I saw a monk today.

 

[GlitterFluff]

We turned on the bunsen burners one lunch time - that was as bad as I got ... Silly girl. Someone set off the fire alarm - can't remember the punishment - we all had punishment as no one would admit to it, and no one would dob them in.

Bunsen burners were the best

 

[bluecups]

I went to a convent in Worcestershire, left after GCSEs in 1989.

The nuns used to lob blackboard rubbers at us too!