Feminism

The Magdalene Laundries were institutions in the late 18th-20th century that were established to rehabilitate “fallen women.” In theses laundries women were basically treated as prisoners, removed of their names and clothes, and forced to do all kinds of physical labor without any leisure time to reflect or rest. They were not compensated for their labor, and were forced to become indoctrinated by the practice of strict periods of penance and silence to shame them for their sins. They were to pray and reform themselves in order to complete their “sentence” and be reinstated back into normal society. Unfortunately this seems to have been much harder to do than promised.

There are records and accounts of women being taken in the night to the laundries against their will, having not committed any “crime.” Likewise, there are also many accounts of women being forced to stay in the laundries much longer than their sentence was stated for, and finding it nearly impossible to escape. These asylums over time became increasingly more like a prison than a rescue facility.

The Catholic Church, which at that time had political power in Ireland, felt these laundries, would serve as a "safe house” for women who were banished from society, because they had illegitimate children, were serving as prostitutes, or were otherwise considered to be sinners by the Church. They were girls considered to be a danger to society. Most of them were 18-20 when they went in and 40-50 when they left. Sent to these laundries by their families, they would be cut off from society. They would be given new names or numbers, and be told to forget about their past. The nuns felt that by keeping them in these so called "jails" they would be protecting them from t...

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... for truth. This is the conclusion that I reached by my extensive research, that it is not religion that solely forms the human identity, nor is it spirituality or science. It is faith. Faith is something that has the potential to shape humanity in its entirety. Regardless of what we practice, we are all earnestly searching for the same answers. We crave the knowledge to know that our lives have meaning, and that we have an extended purpose beyond our selves.

This is what impacts my identity as a man, likewise, the identities of all the women that I have studied. Faith is born out of the mystery that surrounds the very nature of reality. Humanity forms faith out of our search for truth. Regardless of where we find it, be it religion, science, or even music; searching for our own answers is the mystery that shapes and builds upon every individual’s identity.