Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, impoverished populations within urban areas were struggling to keep up with the rising number of abandoned children. And with little support or infrastructure in the way of social and government services, the responsibility to house these children fell largely on local parishes.    The image of these grand manors, large estates surrounded by manicured lawns, of a safe space for innocent children could not have been further from the truth of what was occurring behind closed doors.  It would take several decades before the atrocities that unfolded within these church-led homes would begin to come to light, thanks to the bravery of those willing to share their accounts of abuse, and remarkable survival.  Journalist Christine Kenneally, our guest today, extensively investigated the secret horrors hidden deep within Catholic orphanages, in the US and here in Australia, until as recently as the 60s and 70s.  THE END BITS Subscribe to Mamamia CREDITS Guest: Christine Kenneally You can find out more about her book Ghosts Of The Orphanage here. Host: Emma Gillespie Executive Producer: Gia Moylan Junior Producer: Cassie Merritt Audio Producer: Madeline Joannou GET IN TOUCH: Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]   Join our closed Facebook community to discuss this episode. Just search True Crime Conversations on Facebook or follow this link https://bit.ly/tcc-group  If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.