Archive (4 life histories found)
'Impure thoughts were a serious threat, again mortal sins. Late for mass on Sunday was venial'
All of us boys wanted to be priests, not for any religious motive but because the local priest was such a significant person. I remember one priest, Dr Marron, in retrospect a nasty piece of work. In announcing once that the Christmas collection…
Tags: altar boys, Catholicism, lent, penance, Priests, religion, sin, Vatican council
'We said prayers in the way a machine gun dispenses rounds of ammunition'
We were absolutely certain that all 'non Catholics' were damned, that Jews were thugs and that atheists were the scum of all the scums. We said prayers in the way a machine gun dispenses rounds of ammunition and as altar boys we gave out the Latin…
Tags: altar boys, Catholicism, collection, dogma, offerings, Priest, religion, sin
'...not so much the love of God and certainly not the love of our neighbour but the avoidance of Hell'
The biggest item on the agenda for us growing up in the 1940s and 1950s was religion, not so much the love of God and certainly not the love of our neighbour but the avoidance of Hell. In first class (8 year olds) Fr Hearn came in one day to enquire…
Tags: catechism, Catholicism, dogma, Education, punishment, religion, sin
'...we were living more in fear of hell than the possibility of heaven'
Religion was a major factor and we were 100% diligent participants. I don't remember understanding much about it but back then you participated because hell was a looming certainty if you didn't. In my memory we were living more in fear of hell…
Tags: Catholic, Catholicism, homosexuality, morality, Priests, religion, sex, sexual activity, sexuality, sin