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Raised by the Church: Growing up in New York City's Catholic Orphanages by [Edward Rohs, Judith Estrine]

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Edward Rohs

Judith Estrine

Raised by the Church: Growing up in New York City's Catholic Orphanages 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by Edward Rohs (Author), Judith Estrine (Author, Contributor) Format: Kindle Edition

3.9 94 ratings

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The true story of a childhood spent in multiple religious institutions in postwar Brooklyn—and what it was like to enter the larger world as an adult.

In 1946, Edward Rohs was left by his unwed parents at the Angel Guardian Home to be raised by the Sisters of Mercy. The Sisters hoped his parents would one day return for him. In time they married and had other children, but Ed’s parents never came back for him—and never signed the legal papers so he could be adopted by another family.

Raised by the Church chronicles the life of a bright, mischievous boy raised in five institutions of the Catholic orphanage system in postwar Brooklyn, New York, from infancy until he was discharged in 1965. He was one of thousands taken in by Catholic institutions during the tumultuous post-WWII years: out-of-wedlock infants, children of fathers killed in the war, and children of parents in crisis. Ed describes the Sisters and Brothers who raised him, the food, his companions, and the Catholic community that provided social and emotional support.

When Ed finally leaves, he has difficulty adjusting—but slowly assimilates into “normal” life, achieving an advanced degree and career success. He hides his upbringing out of shame and fear of others’ pity. But as he reflects on his youth and talks to the people who raised him, Ed begins to see a larger story intertwined with his own.

With original research based on interviews with clergymen and nuns, archival data from the New York Archdiocese, and government records, Raised by the Church tells the social history of an era when hundreds of thousands of Baby Boomers passed through the orphanage system, and “reminds us that every generation is challenged to find ways to take care of children whose parents cannot do so” (Catholic News Service).

ISBN-13

978-0823240227
Edition

1st
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Empire State Editions
Publication date

December 2, 2011
Language

English
File size

8012 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Raised by the Church is the story of Brooklyn's post-war Catholic orphanage system. The book reminds us that every generation is challenged to find ways to take care of children whose parents cannot do so. (―Catholic News Service)

The story of this one man supplies needed historical perspective on an American society that understood and acknowledge the community's need for a safe haven. (―American Catholic Studies Newsletter) --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Edward Rohs coordinates mental health
services for the New York City Field Office of
the New York State Office of Mental Health. He is a former psychotherapist and social worker for abused and abandoned children and their families. Ed’s skill at interacting with people of all ages across cultures, combined with his irreverent sense of humor, has made him a much loved role model and mentor to generations of children and their families.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006Q7YUJS
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Empire State Editions; 1st edition (December 2, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 2, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 8012 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #348,496 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #124 in Spiritual Biography
- #242 in History of Mid-Atlantic U.S.
- #285 in Christian Institutions & Organizations (Books)

Customer Reviews:
3.9 94 ratings

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5

94 global ratings

5 star		37%
4 star		23%
3 star		31%
2 star		7%
1 star		2%

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a

skip the synopsis at the beginning of each chapter

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 28, 2022

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Ed Rohs has a powerful story to share from a humble perspective. I think his story would make a great movie, in the vein of Door to Door, Life of Bill Porter.

Sadly, I assume out of gratitude to the woman who took him under his wing to publish his story, the structure of the book may make you put it down before you can get through it. Once I ignored her cliff note synopses that I was just about to read about in full (and her redundant outlines), I could get into his story. The boxed incident descriptions at the end of each chapter should have been integrated into the chapters too.

I would love to see this book reedited and marketed for high school classes. There is history to be discovered in a real context, and there is a perspective to not look down upon and only judge past efforts but see that there is always room for improvement. The question is, how do you do that without throwing the baby out with the bath water, and there are answers that might be found here.

Material for discussions about self-sacrifice, white supremacy, white saviorism, white privilege, identity groups beyond race, saving one child at a time, bullying - the list goes on and on. The power here is this is not fiction written to support an author's perspective. This is a real life lived out in the real world and through his own efforts to make it a better place, it might motivate young people to see no matter how messed up their own backgrounds are, they can make a difference.

One more editing suggestion for future editions I would love to see: some entries are so non-linear, they are almost distracting because you have to think back on what was going on in his life when he describes a past incident inserted into a future life phase, and that takes from the impact the incidents are trying to make. Again, I think he has an amazing story to share, and it will be more readable with better editing.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

X-man

alumni at Maryville Academy

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 3, 2022

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Reading this book reminded me what I went through at Maryville Academy from 1949 (age 5) to 1963 (age 18). The school was originally call St Mary Training and change to Maryville Academy around 1948 or 49. It was located in Des Plaines, Il. It was meant for displaced children, delinquents and orphans. My parents were not able to care for me and my two sister’s so was order by the cook county children court to be place in the institution.

How he describe his upbringing was very similar to me and many more children. It was extremely well written. There was a difference in that we stayed on the school grounds at all times. We had family visiting every other Sundays. Also was able to go home with a parent every other month which included Christmas. Of course that dependent on if you had a parent or if they were willing to come and pick you up.

Mr Rohs did a great job in describing his life and admired what he accomplished.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

H. Arthur

Inspiring and compelling---a fast-paced and enjoyable read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 14, 2011

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This book is an amazing window into a world we know once existed in this country. A balanced and poignant look back at the well-meaning and vital Catholic response to the needs of abandoned infants and children, as experienced by one little boy, this book is a funny, heartbreaking, and ultimately triumphant portrait of resilience within an ever-evolving system.

I am a licensed social worker who has worked within the modern child welfare system, serving birth parents making adoption plans and families at-risk of foster care placement. Thankfully, open adoption has replaced orphanages for infants today, and even long term foster care has now been limited by the Adoption and Safe Families Act (AFSA). But Ed Rohs was born into abject poverty during a time in which a child could be abandoned to be raised, literally, by the Church. His reflections about the care he received and the limits of the system on which he relied are contextualized by the author's fascinating exploration of the history of child welfare and the nation's response to the needs of orphans from the earliest days. This history is brought to life through Ed's anecdotes and recollections of his childhood during the 1950s and 60s and then through his career as both an advocate for youth in the criminal justice system and then as a caregiver within the child serving Catholic system as an adult.

Given our evolving awareness of the predominance of horrifying child sexual abuse within the Church, it comes as no surprise that Ed experienced abuse within the multiple institutions in which he resided. He makes no apologies for his abusers, while at the same time acknowledging the best aspects of his care and those who were kind, including the life-altering impact of a handful of staff and adult mentors who went out of their way to see that he not only survived his bleak emotional circumstances but thrived because of the challenges from which he learned and grew.

I found this book to be truly inspiring--although our system has a long way to go before it truly meets the real needs of every child and family, our history makes it clear that the road continues to head in the right direction. Ed's story demonstrates that the system can only be relied upon to go so far, that it is critical that today's private services have robust public oversight, and that individuals making even a small effort, can and do change people's lives. Even the lowliest abandoned baby has incredible potential to succeed and Ed's accomplishments shine a light on the part we can each play in helping other miracles like his to occur.

18 people found this helpful

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Judith B. Espinoza

A moving story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 9, 2022

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I found it difficult to navigate the beginning narrative of a chapter and then Ed Rohs story telling of his life. His actual life story is amazing and inspirational.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

VINCENT GAGLIONE

of a different time and place

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 16, 2014

Verified Purchase

I thought the story was compelling, moving, and revealed a different time and place. My family used to stay for a couple of weeks each year in a rooming house in Rockaway on 110th street, next to St. John's Home, in which the author once lived. I recall playing with some of the boys there on the beach during the summer. So the story touched me beyond the author's purpose. The Catholic Church, no different than today, did the best it could with limited resources to address problems. Whatever mistakes that it made, as the author implies, are far outweighed by the fact that it did something rather than nothing. And the fact that so many people offered up their lives for others through the Church reinforces my own beliefs in it and its veracity! His Aunt Katherine, Sister Joanna, the Marianist Brothers, the many different nuns - human but saintly in purpose even with all their flaws and faults and sins. Thanks for a wonderful and honest story.

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