Holy Hell

Author(s): Patricia Feenan

true crime

When Senior NSW Police Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox told the ABC's Lateline programme on November 8, 2012, that the Catholic Church had covered up crimes by paedophile priests, silenced investigations and destroyed crucial evidence to avoid prosecution, the public outrage that ensued triggered a Royal Commission, possibly the biggest ever held in Australian history, into institutional child abuse. One of the cases of Church interference Fox outlined was that of Patricia Feenan's son, Daniel who was a young altar boy when he was first raped by a priest in the Newcastle-Maitland diocese. For several years Daniel endured horrific abuse by the priest, who was later found guilty of nine charges of sexual abuse of a minor in a public criminal trial in 2004. One of the many shocking aspects of the case was how the priest, a close family friend, set about secretly grooming his altar boy victim. Patricia writes with raw honesty of her and her son's terrible ordeal. Of the scars that linger and of the callous, often cruel ostracism and denial they encountered from the Catholic community for seeking to bring a paedophile priest to justice. About the Author In his moving introduction to Holy Hell, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox describes Patricia Feenan as "an extraordinary woman who never gave up the struggle to rescue her family from the terrible abyss of despair created by a paedophile priest." Patricia Feenan is described as a strong and resilient woman. She has needed to be. Mother of four sons, a grandmother and teacher, she decided to write this story as a testament to her eldest son's courage in giving evidence against a paedophile priest. Raised in a traditional Catholic family, she was totally unprepared for the shock of denial and ostracism by the church community. An advocate for victims of clergy sexual abuse, she is committed to making sure that her family's lonely experience will never be repeated. Her mantra? "He picked the wrong woman's son to abuse!" Book launch will take place at Parliament House, Sydney on December 14. Publicity: Scott eathorne


Product Information

General Fields

  • : 9780987356543
  • : Fontaine Press
  • : Fontaine Press
  • : October 2012
  • : 230mm X 150mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Patricia Feenan
  • : Paperback
  • : 2
  • : 192