Sir, - For the past few years the Christian Brothers have had a lot of bad press, some of it justified, but much of it not. Enormous criticism has been levelled at all the Brothers because of the unacceptable behaviour of a small minority of their congregation. Sexual abuse of children cannot be condoned whoever the perpetrator. It is a great injustice. The Christian Brothers have publicly apologised and, being aware of the gravity of the abuse, are now attempting to assist those injured.Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that the Christian Brothers have done tremendous work throughout Ireland and much of the world for many decades in educating numerous boys who might otherwise not have had an education. This is forgotten in the zeal with which people often attack the Christian Brothers.I spent seven very happy years at a large Christian Brothers school.
The majority of my contemporaries and most former Christian Brother pupils that I know remember these years as halcyon days. If anything, many of us regret that the enormous efforts the Christian Brothers put into our education and character formation were not appreciated or fully utilised in those school years. The Brothers opened up many opportunities for us in academia, sport, and not least a grounding in Christian values.Though not justifying excessive corporal punishment, I think it should be appreciated that when I was at school in the 1950s and 1960s, corporal punishment was the norm and was used in most homes and in most boys and girls schools - of all denominations.The majority of schoolboys then accepted that if you behaved badly or refused to do your schoolwork you received corporal punishment. Many successful men of today were encouraged during school years to learn, with the knowledge that if they did not they would be introduced to the "strap". Throughout the world there are a multitude of men who would gratefully acknowledge that they were helped to reach high positions in the professions and business because of the, at times, enforced education given to them by the Brothers.I would like to thank the Christian Brothers as one of the many former pupils who has happy memories of my time at a Christian Brothers school. I would also like to say that many former Christian Brothers pupils feel angry at the lambasting the Brothers frequently receive because of the faults of a small minority within their Order. The Christian Brothers are a group of men that Ireland should be proud of. I, and many others, are grateful to them for the great things they have done for us and for many others throughout the world. - Yours, etc.,Dr Owen Gallagher,Main Street,Glenavy,Co Antrim.