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Please can all ladies who were residents at the home please contact me asap, especially those who remember mother rosaria and mother martin, even if you dont remember these nuns and were ther 1970 - 1971 or just before and after contact me please

Hello Sharriegi, it has been so long since i visited this site.I was surprised to read the different responses to my statement on the conditions at St Gerards.
You mentioned the names of a few of the nuns that were there in the seventies. I am afraid I dont remember them individually, only that i found them to be very sympathetic and helpful.
I was at the convent from April-Sept 1971. I had a little girl who is now 42, with 3 children, I am so glad I did not succumb to the harassment I received from the social worker in the hospital, who constantly badgered me to have her adopted. If there is any info you require for your book please dont hesitate to ask. Perhaps you could tell me something about you! I have just noticed you have sent me a message, sorry I cannot be of any help regarding Sister Rosaria I dont remember her.

marymild Sydney

robertsons wrote:st gerards home for unmarried mothers.in 1974 i was there for 4mths aged 15, till i had my son.there was a big building for doing laundry for hotels and i worked in there monday to thursday putting sheets through a massive press for the princely sum of 30pence an hour!two nuns rans the place,sister gertrude and sister catherine.a lady came in from bishopton to cook.the big convent for "bad" girls was further down the drive.we were taken for a walk and the statue of a girl stabbed 20 times rather than let a man take her virtue was pointed out to us!it was hard work,we had a portion of the convent each to clean as well as work in the laundry,and we did our rooms,4 girls to a room,on a friday.all wooden floors throughout,water marks had to be scrubbed off with a wire brush,floor was polished on hands and knees.i met some lovely girls there.some very very sad stories.the girl who had twins the same day as i had my son came back from the hospital without them and then went home to england.i fought to keep my son,hes now 36 and a father to 3 fantastic children.i will never forget st gerards and the poor girls who had their babies taken from them.out of perhaps 30 girls there at the time,only 3 of us kept our babies.we were the lucky ones.

Sorry, the big convent for "bad" girls ??

sharriegi wrote:Please can all ladies who were residents at the home please contact me asap, especially those who remember mother rosaria and mother martin, even if you dont remember these nuns and were ther 1970 - 1971 or just before and after contact me please

Yes I knew mother Martin, the head nun just above her was mother Album (spelling ??) then her name was changed to mother Patricia. That was 68/69.

P.S. That was in St Euphrasia's (training centre ) but everyone called it the convent, only because it was run by nun's it was linked to the approved School.

I attended the training centre at The Good Shepherd Convent, Bishopton and not the unmarried girls area and I am amazed as I didn't know much about an unmarried mums section.. Can I say, I was placed there as I was one of eight children and my patents separated, my mother became ill and we were taken into care. I wasn't a bad girl and I wouldn't of called it an approve school but the doors were locked a lot of the time but I remember being out lots and I travelled home to see my father by train on my own. I was around 13 years old and I was born in 1958. I was in St.Andrew's House where Mother Sylvester was our house mother and she was lovely and kind. There was a house mistress Miss Margaret who was firm but also fair and she looked after me and I learnt to sew, embroidery and cook. I attended school lessons too. I met lots of girls from Glasgow and a special friend from Newcastle, who I would love to meet at a reunion or something. I remember Mother Martin, she was a very energetic nun. I remember Mother Patricia who was from Ireland and she was Mother Superior. Mother Gerard, who was a tiny kind nun. I met Mother Sylvester in the street in the town where I live many years later and we recognised each other, it was an amazing reunion on a Saturday in a busy Main Street in a large town.
I remember the laundry and an old lady who worked there. There was also Mary Magdalen who was a house mistress in another house. I could talk for hours about my time there. I do not want to post any names on the public boards, and would love to hear from anyone that was around at St. euphrasia's at same time as I was.

Lovely to hear from folks with positive memories

If anyone wants to get in touch to exchange memories and names with the various contributors can I remind them that they can have private contact using the PM button on the right of that persons post. It is a totally confidential way of swapping information off the public board.

Russell

I had my daughter, Genevieve at St. Gerard's mother and baby home in 1972. I kept her and went on to marry and had six more children. Mother Gertrude was in charge at the time.

I was in St Euphrasias also. It was known as a 'training centre' and not an approved school. The nuns weren't unkind, and I learned to play the violin there and used to back and visit when I had my daughter in St. Gerard's. Mother Philip Neri was in charge. Also Mother Ailbhe and one of the lay Staff was called Philomena. Mother Alphonsus was the music teacher.

sharriegi wrote:Please can all ladies who were residents at the home please contact me asap, especially those who remember mother rosaria and mother martin, even if you dont remember these nuns and were ther 1970 - 1971 or just before and after contact me please

I had my daughter there in January 1972. I stayed for a few weeks afterwards and they helped to find accommodation in Govan in Glasgow where I could be with my daughter.