Cruel nuns

Marlene Sweeney writes that the old stereotype of the cruel Catholic nun should be put to rest (NCR, "The sisters' story retold," Feb. 22). This image would not have such strength if there were not a great deal of truth behind it, and it may never die until the last of the children abused by a generation of nuns passes from the scene. In the 1950s, the days of "a Catholic education for every Catholic child," parochial elementary schools of 1,300 children or more were the norm. Classes of 80 led by a 25-year-old nun with a high school education were not uncommon. The only way to maintain order in a class that size was unrelenting discipline. Personal attention to the needs of any one student was essentially impossible.

The nuns as well as the children were victims of a deeply flawed model of Catholic education. Many graduates continue to harbor deep resentment over the treatment we received in parochial school. Many of my former classmates turned their backs on the church in their teens and have stayed away. Perhaps the orders of religious women could show a greater sensitivity and humility than the bishops and priests who committed much graver abuses. If religious women would be able to speak their regret for-the deeds of their predecessors, the resentments of a generation of parochial school students would be diminished, and perhaps stories about the "brutal sisters" would decrease.

ROBERT F. BRADY JR.

Gaithersburg, Md.

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