7
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 JANUARY 2024
They spent their childhood in the Lourdes Home orphanage but what was
supposed to be a home of love and care turned out to be a house of horrors.
KARL AZZOPARDI speaks to three women, who recount the horrible
abuse they endured as children at the hands of the Dominican nuns in the
Gozo orphanage.
IN the quiet village of Għajnsielem in
Gozo, lies a painful chapter etched in the
memories of those who once sought refuge
at the Lourdes Home orphanage.
During the 1970s and 1980s, behind the
facade of care and sanctuary, a harrowing
tale of sexual, physical, and psychological
abuse unfolded at the orphanage. The hor-
rific experience left deep scars on the inno-
cent souls entrusted to the care of nuns who
ran the home.
On a breezy Wednesday morning, one of
the victims, Carmen Sammut, welcomed
me at her Nadur home, eager to recount her
story as child under the care of a "monster".
Sitting at her dinner table were two oth-
er former residents of the home run by the
Dominican Sisters – Roseanne Saliba and
Mary Borg (Mary's name has been changed
to protect her identity).
The paths of these three adult women
crossed in childhood at the Lourdes Home
where they suffered abuse at the hands of
those who should have cared for them.
Each of these women is clutching thick
files filled with newspaper cuttings, photos
and documents they collected through the
years.
˃ CONTINUES PAGES 8 - 9
