Silence, Chains, And Whips: Irish Woman Alleges Disturbing Regime Inside Opus Dei Ireland

While Opus Dei has never had a dedicated centre in Kildare, they have had temporary or episodic involvement in the area through pastoral work.

A woman says she was recruited into Ireland’s Opus Dei under false pretences at age 15 in the 1970s.

What she thought was a catering course became, she alleges, seven years of unpaid labour, religious control, and psychological harm.

Anne-Marie Allen is speaking publicly for the first time about what she calls “a disturbing world of mortification, manipulation, and a deeply gendered form of religious coercion.”

While Opus Dei has never had a dedicated centre in Kildare, they have had temporary or episodic involvement in the area through pastoral work.

“We were approached by people in this organisation, you know, that were very well presented, that knew exactly what they were doing… we were made promises… attending a good course that would give me a good job at the end of the day and good qualifications… That’s not what it turned out to be.”

“The Recruitment Started That First Evening”

“That night… the recruitment started… they started to tell us about Opus Dei, the founder, what it was about… it was only a matter of months really… until I actually joined as an assistant numerary," Ms Allen said.

Allen says this was no simple spiritual calling.

 “We were targeted to be recruited as assistant numerary… a lower grade in Opus Dei… they provide free domestic service… catering, laundry, hospitality… I was told that I had a vocation… a vocation as big as a house.”

No Days Off, No Escape

“You were called at 6:30 in the morning… went to prayer and you started work at about 8 o’clock… you worked all day… maybe got home at 9pm, half nine… that was seven days a week.”

“There were silent periods as well… you were under supervision all the time and you were to be obedient… to the directors of Opus Dei and to serve them… it was all about service and servitude.”

Systemic, Gendered Control

When asked by Kfm if Opus Dei controlled women, Ms Allen said: “Oh absolutely… they’re looking for people that will join Opus Dei, celibate members… young girls that were impressionable, maybe that were idealistic… good workers… we were there for domestic servitude and that was our role for our lives, our celibate lives… So yeah. That's 100% correct.”

Self-Mortification 

During her time with Opus Dei, Ms Allen said self-mortification was not encouraged but "forced".

“Mortification encompassed a load of different things on a daily basis, but two of the main things… wearing the chain… and using a whip on a Saturday… a load of links with the barbs turned in… you tie it onto your leg for two hours a day.”

“And then you had a whip that you hit yourself with… on the back… every Saturday… and sometimes that could be increased… if you were doubting your vocation… It also involves sleeping on the floor and sleeping without a pillow… I see it as a form of self-harm.”

 "It wasn’t encouraged. I was told to do it.”

Punished for Cheering a GAA Match

“I was shouting at the television and I was using some unparliamentary language… I got a thing called a fraternal correction, a severe fraternal correction afterwards… that I hadn’t behaved like a saint, that I had behaved like an animal.”

“You couldn’t say, ‘Look, that’s ridiculous’… So you just had to say thank you.”

After Leaving: “You’re Treated as If You’re Dead”

“Once you leave Opus Dei… you’re not mentioned… you’re treated as if you’re dead… I was told not to [get in contact].”

 Ms Allen has met others who left the religious group. She said some people worked with Opus Dei as recently as 2000, with some women spending over 50 years working for the group.

“We found… each other within the last few years… it’s been a magnificent experience… to see how they have survived really… and how they’ve overcome the trauma.”

On the Question of Justice

“Thousands of women like myself who left Opus Dei… left without pension payments… left without money or savings or qualifications," she said.

“Those people in particular need to be compensated for the time that they gave to Opus Dei and that their lives should be made comfortable…"

On Reconciliation with Opus Dei

Kfm reached out to Opus Dei.

A spokesperson said they would be interested in a discussion with Ms Allen.

When asked if that is something she would consider, Ms Allen said: "Absolutely not. No. I won’t.”

To Any Teen Girl Approached Today?

“Run. Run the other way and go home to your parents as quickly as possible.”

Opus Dei’s Response

In a statement to KFM, Opus Dei said they have "long offered spiritual formation activities to young people to inspire them to practise Christian virtues, to help them become women and men of integrity who contribute to society by living out the Christian message in their daily lives."

They said: " We always seek to ensure parental involvement with the objective of encouraging young people to learn and practice their faith, as well as to live virtuously, serve others, be good friends, prepare to be good professionals and citizens in the future and to care for their family, etc."

On claims made by Ms Allen, they said: “We remain greatly saddened to again read Anne Marie’s account of her experience with us over 40 years ago. Given the passage of time and absence of historical records, it is extremely difficult to adequately respond to all the serious and upsetting allegations Anne Marie makes.”

“Many of these genuinely do not accord with those of long-standing members who were part of Opus Dei alongside Anne Marie.”

“Nonetheless it is clear that Anne Marie has been deeply affected, which she attributes to her time with us, and for that we are profoundly sorry.”

“We have repeatedly publicly said that we want to listen and learn from individuals’ testimonies. It is fair to say that, as a result, some practices and approaches within Opus Dei have changed over the years as society itself has changed.”

“However Opus Dei’s ethos is unchanged and has always been to do good and to imitate Jesus Christ in our daily lives. Nothing could be further from our intentions than to cause harm to anyone, irrespective of whether they are, or have been, members.”

“Criticism from former members has prompted institutional reflection, leading to safeguarding improvements and changes in the way we do things.”

“Nonetheless, to portray Opus Dei as an organisation with malign intent could not be further from the truth.”

“We remain open to discussing these matters directly with Anne Marie should she wish to do so.”

You can listen to the interview with Anne-Marie Allen below.

She will be signing her book  - Serve: My Lost Years at the Heart of Ireland’s Opus Dei - at Eason in Newbridge from 2pm today.