I was shocked. I found out that the nun submitted a letter to the family court, in which she requested that my children be placed in an unrelated foster family, because I allegedly took good care of them," says Iwona Załęska. The Albertine sisters, who help single mothers, deny these accusations. – This is revenge for a good heart – says sister Katarzyna Miela. Krakow’s Albertine women run a center for people in need of social assistance.
After the publication of "Fact" regarding apartments run by Krakow’s Albertine sisters for people in need of support, more women began to apply to our editorial office. They claim that it was not "colorful" there. They talk about control, jerking children, and even trying to take them away.
A place that is located at ul. Woronicza and was supposed to be a safe haven for single mothers, traumatized women and people coming out of homelessness. In their opinion, this is not the case. The former tenants, who lived with their nuns, talk about strict rules, constant control and living under pressure, which instead of helping, was supposed to paralyze them. Iwona Załęska and Anna Wrzesień are single mothers who in 2024, together with their children, went to the home of the "First Man" Foundation at ul. Woronicza in Krakow. The stay was supposed to be temporary, until the life situation stabilized. Both believe that instead of support, they experienced surveillance and actions, the effects of which are still reflected in their family lives.
I asked for a roof over my head, not for control of life"
Iwona Załęska is 31 years old and has three children: Oliwier (8 years old), Pola (5 years old) and Fabian (7 months old). She went to the Albertine sisters’ house in 2024 after she was no longer able to pay for the rented apartment.
– I reported to the MOPS, I was looking for housing assistance. I was directed to the Albertine sisters. I was with two children at the time, I worked in a kindergarten as an assistant, I never had problems with alcohol or with the law – reports Załęska.
At first, nothing disturbed her. The situation, he claims, has changed quickly.
– The sister-in-law began to control every aspect of my life: she called work, asked what time I would be back, why I was late, interfered in everything, even wanted to know why the child got sick. I felt like I was being interrogated – says Iwona Załęska in an interview with "Fact".
According to her account, the residents of the house could not help each other, even in emergency situations.
— I couldn’t ask another resident to stay with my children for a while. I heard that "not allowed". However, when I was left alone with a sick child and was on sick leave, I heard from my supervisor that I was irresponsible and notified social services – adds Załęska.
Curator and the case in the family court
After a few weeks of stay, according to Iwona Załęska, a court curator knocked on her door. – I was shocked. I found out that my sister filed a letter to the family court, in which she requested that my children be placed in an unrelated foster family, because I allegedly took good care of them. I read in the files that I allegedly do not cope as a mother and lead a nomadic lifestyle – says Załęska.
She emphasizes that she was never deprived of parental rights, her children attended kindergarten and school, and she worked herself. – My problems were only about finances. This is not a reason to scare children with an orphanage," he points out.
Her words about her behavior towards the youngest are particularly moving.
– My sister was supposed to jerk my six-year-old son and tell him he would go to an orphanage. The child was terrified. Only later did I find out that my son repeated to psychologists that he was afraid of this nun – he reports.
"I was made a scandal about a bike for my daughter"
Anna Wrzesień (37 years old) is the mother of two children: Zuzi (9 years old) and Maksia (4 years old). She ended up at the home of the Albertine sisters after staying at the women’s support center after experiencing violence.
At first, it seemed that everything was fine. After a month, the questions began: why am I not at work, where I go out, what time I will be back. My child was interrogated – adds Anna Wrzesień.
As she says, the sisters knew that her daughter had a mild degree of intellectual disability. – In my opinion, it was used. The daughter was asked about details, dates, places that the child simply cannot remember," she says.
One of the flashpoints was supposed to be the situation with the bicycle, which the daughter got from construction workers doing work on the building.
– They made a scandal out of it, I was called "on the carpet". I heard it’s not done that way. And it was about a used bike for a child – says Anna Wrzesień.
Former residents of the Albertinek house talk about harassment
Both women claim that they were subjected to constant, excessive control by the nuns.
– They told us to bring receipts, they controlled what we bought for the children. It happened that after returning from work, things in the refrigerator were rearranged – adds Załęska. As she reports, the correspondence addressed to her was supposed to be received by third parties. – I found out at the post office that the registered letter was received, but it never came to me – she adds.
Both mothers left the house of the Albertine sisters – one after 3 weeks, the other after almost a year. – We ran away because we couldn’t cope mentally. Today we both have curators and a much more difficult way to get social housing – they say.
https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polska/krakow/krakow-samotne-matki-oskarzaja-siostry-albertynki-ucieklysmy/se2xvt4
Posted by Gamebyter
6 Comments
I always take everything with grain of salt when reading this type of articles. “Religion vs lay people” type. Give it enough time and the truth will emerge.
I can almost understand them checking their rooms and checking their jobs since they have infants and very young children, yet are homeless with them. Unfortunately, when you rely on an institution to house yourself and your babies, it’s unlikely to feel like a private home.
In the west, women’s shelters have the opposite problem: no checks at all, so there’s a lot of mental illness and drugs around the kids.
Surely there must be a balance. Maybe give the employed ones who come from a financial/violence background a more privileged status, which keeping stricter check-ins on the addicts or mentally ill. There’s no reason to treat them all as addicts, nor to avoid checks entirely. Some are clearly in need of other assistance, but not all.
So MOST, not all, of the single moms I know have a HORRIBLE judge of characters. They tend to be attracted to the wrong type of guys and have issues themselves, sometimes like having grown up in a single family home themselves or where there is no stability. The single moms I know, tend to overspend on things that are not necessary for their kids or themselves. No woman or kid need brand name clothes, shoes, or jackets, nails done, eating out, vaping, drinking or touch ups every two weeks. They still like to hang out with friends, excessively like going to clubs or coffee shops.
If I was this lady’s sister or family member that was helping her out by letting her and her kids live in my home, there would be STRICT RULES, too. I am helping you get back on your feet so you can leave financially stable and be safe while you get to that point. I am not your free baby sitter, cook, or maid. You don’t get to go “out” and come back when ever you want, even if you have someone else take care of your kids. There is a strict goal you are aiming to obtain and anything outside of that goal is keeping you from reaching your goal. Sorry, but not so sorry.
My friend rented a room in a student house run by nuns. She left very quickly because they were trying to control her life. Imagine your landlord calling your school and workplace, controlling when you come back, who you meet, and how you live. Crazy.
To be frank the complaining single mothers seem to be dysfunctional, irresponsible people demanding to be given resources without having anyone control how they use those resources.
Sounds like nuns applied rules of their cloister to those that they took in.
FYI, in the monasteries, there is total and complete control over the lives of nuns, that resemble nothing short of North Korea.
Well, at least the matter should be looked into. Those cloisters are incompatible with modern psychology, because they will break people who come there.