Customer Reviews

Unto Us a Child: Abuse and Deception in the Catholic Church

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This book is heart-breaking. It is an account of incredible suffering and horrific abuse perpetrated against the children of the Albert family. This book is a story of extraordinary courage and endurance in face of astonishingly difficult odds.

The story of the Albert family should be read everywhere. Furthermore, it should be required reading for Catholic bishops and clergy throughout the world. I hope this book gets picked up and read.

I too am a survivor of child sexual abuse and clergy abuse. I am also a Catholic priest. I know well the horrendous legacy of abuse - the crippling trauma from which healing can be so difficult.

The institution of the Catholic Church is - in so many ways - sinful, sick and dysfunctional. The Church needs repentance, conversion, purification and healing.

The terrified voices of abused children over so many years cry out to God in Heaven on account of the evil perpetrated within the Church. God's Church should have been a place of compassion, love and care for those children in society who were most vulnerable - most in need of gentleness, love and nurturing. Far too many, like the Albert children, experienced just the opposite.

Thankfully, however, more and more of those children who suffered, as a result of the evil and criminal behaviour of perverts and sadists in religious garb, are no longer frightened voices. They are becoming strong and demanding voices - demanding truth, justice and redress.

The adults the Albert children have now become deserve profound awe and immense respect. I hope they find peace, gentleness and healing after all the horror they endured when they were children. May God bless them - the True God of Love.

May that monstrous and false god - the fearsome construct of those who abuse their power and position over the defenceless and the vulnerable - be forever de-throned.

Those predators who happened to be priests and religious - along with their conspiring and conniving superiors and bishops - have actually abused and betrayed Christ Himself in the persons of His little ones.

Jesus is very explicit in what He thinks of those who have scandalised "any of these my little ones". (Matthew Ch. 18:5-6 and verses 10-11). How could so many cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests and religious have behaved so scandalously in the face of innocent suffering?

How could they have so negated the essential message of the Gospel - both clerical abusers and those in positions of authority who sought to cover up their crimes - by they way they behaved towards the victims?

May God forgive them! May God have mercy on their immortal souls, for one day they will all stand before the Judegement Seat of Jesus Christ. And their attorneys will be of no use to them!

This is a heart-breaking tale, but one that needs to be read by anyone who has witnessed the Catholic Church's fumbling of the abuse issue. It should focus our insistence that any priest or nun who sexually molests or physically or mentally abuses a child should not be sheltered and protected by their church.

In Kansas, the Alberts are cursed by poverty. But times get tougher for this family when the parents are forced to place seven of their nine children in the care of a Catholic orphanage. Years later when one of the daughter's dies, she leaves a diary which details a sexual relationship with a priest that resulted in her getting pregnant. The priest wasn't punished, but she was sent to a Catholic-run home for unwed mothers. After she gave birth, the child was put up for adoption and her mother was sent back to the oprphanage. This is the impetus that gets the rest of the family talking, and the brothers reveal amongst themselves their own tales of abuse. At least three of the four brothers were sexually and physically abused. The fourth refuses to talk about it. The two sisters suffered from mental problems and were alcoholics. Both died tragically young. All the boys also received savage beatings by the nuns.

As with many abuse cases involving the church, obtaining legal restitution would take years. The surving Albert family members sought restitution until they ran out of money. Worst still, they were no longer emotionally equipped to handle this childhood nightmare. Yet despite the delays, there were eyewitness accounts and enough documents uncovered to confirm the fact that this terrible wrong had been done.

UNTO US A CHILD is a harrowing story of an entire family's betrayal by an institution that was supposed to help save them. Donald T. Phillips narrative let's the reader draw their own conclusions.

The Catholic church should be ashamed of its behavior and actively make sure that this tale of horror never happens again. Reading UNTO US A CHILD is a step in the right direction. The book should be required reading by the powers in the Vatican who want the American branch of the Church to set less rigid and strict punishments for priests and nuns who commit these abuses.

I agree completely with the review from New York.

This book was not an easy read. It is very disturbing. I have read (and heard on TV) many stories about abuse in the Catholic church, but never one that includes so many members of one family. Of course, the Catholic church felt there was no truth to these stories (and the priest who determined this is now the Bishop in Dodge City, Kansas). I am not sure how he could come to this conclusion since there was a baby that was born after one priest sexually abused one of the daughters from the age of thirteen (Eventually the priest was defrocked after another paternity issue arose).

The Catholic church must address these issues. They WILL NOT go away. The victims deserve justice.

I can see this book being made into a movie. It is truly the most disturbing story I have yet to hear involving abuse in the Catholic church.

Once again, the Catholic church buries it head in the sand. I sincerely hope the people of Dodge City, Kansas are aware that their Bishop is the man who the Albert's went to to report the abuse. Of course, he found no "evidence" of abuse. I am not sure what he thought the "baby" was that was born to the daughter.

This is such a difficult book to read since the abuse involves so many children from one family. I hope Hollywood makes a movie about this book. This story needs to be told to the world.

I am ashamed to be a Catholic, however, I no longer attend, and no longer make donations. When the donations dry up, you might see a change in their attitudes. How many abuse victims want to come forward, and face this all over again (not to mention the financial drain)? The Catholic church is very aware of the pedophiles, and they move them from church to church. It is such a sick thing. I do not know how these people sleep at night.

The Catholic church makes the Mafia look like Girl Scouts...

This is such a sad story, but one that needs to be read. To think that the Catholic church is so callous is heart-breaking, but we have read enough of these types of stories recently to know that it is true. The hierarchy within the church are not only callous but are self-righteous and even hateful, in my view. This family suffered so terribly and unnecessarily, each and every one from the parents down to the 9 children and beyond, that it is a heartache.
This book is so well researched and written, it certainly deserves a higher priority in the bookstores! I just happened to come across it on a table of "new books" in my local bookstore; I am saddened that it won't be widely read, because it needs to be. We cannot continue to blindly trust huge establishments, such as the Catholic (or any) Church; and we must fight injustice all the way, as this family did. Unfortunately, outdated laws are preventing the remaining family members from any sort of justice, let alone compensation, but maybe laws will be changed down the line and these people will find the courage and strength (not to mention money and time) to continue their battle. I am ashamed of the Church. I have come to despise it. Please read this book and see what they have done to our children and to it's members who have taken a wrong step when they were minors......

Unto Us A Child chronicles the lives of one family as impacted by the Catholic Church. Their experiences of sexual abuse caused devastating problems, coupled with the refusal of their diocese to admit the truth behind the Albert family's allegations. Unfortunately, this pattern of denial by the Church has happened countless times throughout the U.S. This story will open many eyes and touch many hearts. Sexual abuse thrives in secrecy. Placing a spotlight on this issue will help society as a whole, because the more educated people are about the long-term effects of sexual abuse, the more involved they will be in finding ways to prevent it. Our son committed suicide several years ago, a few months after revealing that he had been sexually abused by a priest when he was twelve. Families who are telling their stories are enabling other families to protect their children. Each person can strengthen the fight against sexual abuse by giving emotional support to the victims and by insisting on legislation requiring churches to report child sexual abuse. The Albert family is to be commended in their relentless pursuit of truth and justice.

I don't understand what is going on with my order--I have not received it. I keep checking on it and the delivered date keeps changing. Please either send the book to me or refund my money