Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary: Separated Children, Married Couples Ordered to Celibacy

From the age of six through her high school years, Patricia Walsh Chadwick was raised in The Center, an isolated, rural community of 100 members, including 39 children, led by Father Leonard Feeney, an excommunicated Jesuit priest, and managed with an iron fist by his spiritual alter ego, Catherine Clarke. Together, they created a monastic environment that demanded obedience, silence, chastity, and detachment from family, achieved by separating parents from their children and forbidding members to read newspapers, watch television, listen to the radio, or communicate with outsiders. Patricia defied Sister Catherine’s mission to mold her into a compliant, submissive nun. At 17, in the middle of the turbulent 1960s, she was expelled from her home in Still River, Massachusetts, without a hint of how to survive, much less thrive, in an unfamiliar and frightening world.

Today, Patricia has had a successful 30-year career in the investment business, culminating as a Global Partner at Invesco, as she he sits on a number of corporate boards and blogs on economic, social, and political issues. Patricia is author of BREAKING GLASS: Tales from the Witch of Wall Street, as well as a previous memoir, Little Sister, where she recounts her time in the cult.

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Connect with Patricia on social media:

Website: https://www.patriciachadwick.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patriciachadwickauthor

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciachadwick1/

IG: @patriciawalshchadwick

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@patriciachadwick6951

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**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**

00:02:55 Patricia's daughter helps her realize she grew up in a cult

00:06:23 A small Catholic church becomes isolated and more communally oriented

00:17:47 How chiIdren were isolated even further within the group and some of the rules they were required to follow

00:20:44 Sister Catherine continues to isolate families while breaking the rules herself

00:25:25 A militaristic lifestyle in the countryside of Massachusetts

00:27:06 Restricting outside influences and stripping away individuality

00:30:45 Still nurturing familial connections while under strict rules and job assignments

00:34:28 A matriarchal leader in a patriarchal world and how members were indoctrinated daily

00:39:36 How Patricia's lack of knowledge impacted her understanding of marriage

00:41:17 How Sister Catherine's personal beliefs directly influenced the lives of many

00:44:41 Patricia's meeting with Sister Catherine about her future

00:50:11 How Patricia felt about leaving and how she views cult like representation in the media

00:55:17 How Patricia was able to succeed on Wall Street after leaving the cult

01:10:42 How other members left before and after Sister Catherine's death

01:14:41 What Patricia's relationship with her family is like today

01:16:28 How Patricia is doing now

01:18:22 Linda, listen

01:18:51 Patricia's plans for more books in the future and her role models

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