St. Stephen is a catholic mission school. Built back in the colonial days by the Britons and taken over by the African Priests. Now and then a Briton Priest may pay St. Stephen a visit just to check how things are running. There is a Priest´s and a nun´s convent as well as a magnificent public church right in the school compound.
St. Stephen boarding school runs from class 5 to class 8; the so called upper primary. Jane has attended this school since class 5...meaning since she was 11 years old. She is for the last years always top of her class. She has an amazing voice, so she sings in the school choir and also every day during the daily mass. Oh yes, in St. Stephen daily mass at 7 a.m is compulsory. The motto is: no mass, no breakfast! A little harsh for the kids, buy hey rules are rules and they halt to be obeyed.
The choir practice for the main Sunday service takes place on Saturdays. Jane is now the Choir-leader since the former leader Clara finished her class 8 KCPE last year and left for high school. Jane has to go to the convent to pick up the instruments for choir practice. Jane is tall, beautiful and her smile brightens the sun.
When she comes back from the convent, she seems shorter, dull and aggrieved. Everyone in the choir can tell that she had been crying. She tries to hold it together, but she can´t. She calls choir practice off and she runs to the dormitory. After what seemed hours of bitter weeping, she confines her girl friends that which had taken place at the convent.
"Come sit down my dear Jane" Father Dominik had told her while he made space next to him on the marron sofa at the convent.
"We will be working very closely from now on" He continued while pouring Jane a cup of masala-tea in one of the English golden tiny tea-cups.
She could already feel the discomfort of the close proximity of his arm to her chest as he handed her the tea.
"I´d like you to take over all duties that Clara performed at the church and at the convent" He added.
"I like leading the choir. There are many new great choir members this year" She added while holding tight on the tiny cup so not to show her shaking hands.
"Not just the choir…" he added as he rested his filthy fingers on her thigh.
"No!" She said as she put down the tiny cup on the coffee table and jumped on her feet.
"What do you mean with..no!?!" He asked, as though he had never heard these words ever before in his pathetic life.
Tears were now running down the cheeks of poor Jane as Father Dominik hurriedly walked to her and tried to calm her down. He pressed himself to her in the name of a hug and held her chin up with his right hand.
"It´s fine, it´s fine, it´s fine…." he whispered to her calmly as he tried to kiss her innocent lips.
"I´ll be gentle, I´ll not hurt you!" He added still in a whisper.
Jane could not take it anymore. So she gathered all her courage and strength and slapped the hell out of him and hurtled out of the convent. She wiped away all the tears and went back for choir practice.
Father Dominik could not handle rejection. He kicked Jane out of mass the following day and everyday for the whole week. Everyone in St. Stephen knew what was going on; the students, the teachers, the nuns and i guess even the cooks and the watchmen. But NONE of them could DARE say anything bad against a MAN OF GOD!
Jane remained stubborn. She was eventually kicked out of school. No one knows under which grounds, but they definitely found something.
She could not dare tell her parents. That could be a disgrace to them and definitely Jane´s fault. They were already furious enough that their daughter was kicked out of the best school they knew.
What the hell is wrong with us? I do not just blame the priests, i blame us. Everyone of us who looked the other way, just because the "man of God" was involved. Everyone of us who kept our mouths shut when innocent souls needed our help.
It´s time we stopped ignoring the catholic immoral behaviour, any kind of forcible violation and ravishment for that matter. As i understand, it´s a global problem!
Let us make church what God wanted it to be. A place to search for security, peace and love.
Have a great week you all and please NO MORE IGNORING!
Lots of love,
ItsRosebeth
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