Historical Background

People hold many beliefs about the Good Shepherd Laundries. Its history is blurred with the passage of time; that is, it was, until the truth started to filter through the choking silence and catapulted into the present, through the remaining ‘Magdalene Penitents,’ as they moved past their silent shame and started to talk about their first hand experiences, at the hands of cruel ‘caretakers.’ 

The convents were initially created to restore “fallen women” and send them back into the community; or alternatively, to prepare them to serve in the convent, for the rest of their lives. However, it morphed into the girls being used to create revenue from working long hours in the laundry, without pay, whilst enduring a cruel silent monastic lifestyle, as penance for their sins.  

In contrast to the cruelty behind the convent walls, the Courts, Church and the public believed the “good nuns” were reforming wayward girls; and indeed, it looked that way from the outside.  The opposite was true; instead, they exploited the girls to create large income for the convent, with little, or no cost to themselves, because the girls upkeep was subsidised through the State and donations.

It goes without saying, the nuns were free of any accountability, or scrutiny because they were ’Brides of The Good Shepherd,’ and indeed under the protection of the Catholic Church. As it has always been, since the beginning of the “Magdalene Penitents.”

Firstly, the Magdalene convents were birthed in Naples Italy, around 1344, by Queen Salencia, who had philanthropic impulses and was looking for a solution to the overwhelming amount of prostitutes within her city. 
She designed and personally funded three convents, with the intention to retire in one of them, as a nun, when her husband died. The other two were for the many penitent prostitutes, of Naples. At the time, Naples was overrun with “fallen women” and she used Mary Magdalene as an example of the penitent prostitute, because Pope Gregory Vl, in the year 594, wrongfully declared that Mary was a reformed prostitute; even though the Bible states the opposite is true. In fairness though, there were so many Mary’s mentioned in the Bible, that it would have been easy to get their stories mixed up.

Queen Salencia’s work was so successful in restoring women, that in 1342, Pope Clement Vl, put the convents under the Catholic church’s protection (control).

Interestingly, in 1969 (the year they closed the Magdalene Laundries), “Pope Paul Vl’s missal revised the Catholic Church’s historic position on Mary Magdalene.”

( Mary Magdalene, Feminist Icon? by Ramona Tausz).

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Secondly,  Magdalene Laundries were owned by Catholics and Protestants.

•  In Belfast, the Church of Ireland, in 1839, was founded in 1839, on Donegal Pass. Similarly, laundries were also run by Catholics, on Ormeau Road and by Presbyterians on Whitehall Parade. (Archives of Ireland) Government, politics and Institutions in Belfast in Early twentieth century.

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• In Dublin, Magdalene Laundry opened by Lady Arabella Denny, 1765.

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• The first Magdalene Laundry in England was founded in the late 1758, in Whitechapel. By 1900, there were more than 300 in England and more than 20 in Scotland. Francis Finnegan, 2001, P8. Do Penance or Perish: A study of Magdalene Asylums in Ireland.​

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• The Magdalene Laundry was founded in 1800 by the Magdalene Society of Philadelphia.

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• In Toronto, 1858, Elizabeth Dunlop founded Magdalene Laundries.

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• In Sweden, Emilie Elmblad, Philanthrapist, founded a Magdalene Laundry in Stockholm’s, in 1852. By 1900 there were 8 institutions. Half were managed by the Salvation Army. Svanstrom Yvonne 2006, “Public Women: Prostitution in Sweden 1812-1918.

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• In Australia, 1890-late 60’s, the Catholic Nuns ran Magdalene Laundries in most Capital States.

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• In New Zealand, the Good Shepherd Sisters ran two Magdalene Laundries. One in Christchurch and one in Auckland.​

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Finally, The Magdalene Asylums, were to rescue prostitutes and return them to society, or to help them become nuns and live a chaste life. The latter being the preferred outcome. It was based on the false declaration of Pope Gregory, that Mary Magdalene was a reformed prostitutes; indeed, this was the false belief that the refuges were built on. In fact, Mary Magdalene was a strong woman in her own right and just as much a disciple of Jesus, as were the other apostles. She was Mary from Magdala. A dignified, woman who was with Jesus through his crucifixion, she was first to see him rise from the grave, and she was the one entrusted to carry the message to the other disciples. She was a strong and trustworthy member of the team, not a “Fallen Woman.” 

Whilst the Asylums were meeting a need in society at the time, the women were free to come and go, earn and contribute to the upkeep and were not treated like the “dregs of society’ that needed to do cruel penance. 

Whilst the asylums started in the Catholic Church, in the Middle Ages, many other religions saw it as a mission and income and restoration of women discarded by society and their families. It was probably a good thing for its time, because society was overrun with prostitutes.  However, when others got on the ‘bandwagon,’ things began to change.

In the beginning, the ‘penitents’ were there by choice and they were chosen for their age, looks and ‘comeliness.’ They had freedom to come and go. In Dublin, this still appeared to be the case in 1904, when James Joyce, wrote about the Magdalene Laundry, called “Dublin by the Lamplight, in Ballsbridge. 

He wrote: “Located on the banks of the river, Dodder, there had been a “Dublin by Lamplight” laundry, in existence since 1856. It was a well-established charitable institute for penitent females, which was supported by voluntary contributions and by the inmates own exertions, and which offered an excellent laundry.”

He starts off his story, called Clay, with, “The Matron had given her leave to to go out as soon as the women’s tea was over and Maria looked forward to her evening out.”

Maria states that while she enjoys going out, she was expected to hand out tracts on her walk. They were canvassing for ‘fallen women.’ This was how the first Magdalene started, they went out looking and recruiting the “right fit” girls for the Asylum.

According to Joyce, Maria earned her own money at the laundry... ‘how much better it was to be independent and to have your own money in your pocket.” Likewise, there was reference to the freedom to communicate, laugh and argue, “...She was always sent for when the women quarrelled over their tubs and always succeeded in making peace.”

Funnily enough, Maria was a Catholic living and working in a Protestant Laundry, she had the freedom to go to her own Mass on a Sunday, “...Remembering that the next morning was a Mass morning, changed the hand of the alarm clock from seven to six.”

 Joyce, James. Dubliners (London: Grant Richards, 1914)

Clay was written in a time of political and religious turmoil in Ireland between Catholics and Protestants.

So, what and when did it all change?

The State became involved and found the girls for them, so the days of handing out tracts were over. They collaborated with the courts, sifting out the Catholic girls that were rebellious, runaways, uncontrolled by parents, temptresses.  

This is the story of the REAL Mary Magdalene, according to the Bible.

https://youtu.be/aAzRIHTusnA