Sister Gertrude Marie Sister Mary Omer
Archdiocese of New Orleans
Ordained: N/A
Died: 2014
Assigned as follows:
- 1979-1988 St. Peter-St. Joseph Children’s Home (San Antonio,TX)
- 1988-2004 Madonna Manor (Marrero, LA)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Sister Gertrude Marie:
Sister Gertrude Marie was a nun of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and with her twin sister, professed her vows in 1953. She spent her life caring for children. According to media reports, in August 2005, she was named in a lawsuit filed by six men alleging they were sexually molested, beaten and humiliated 40 years earlier by nuns, priests and civilian staff members at Madonna Manor, a Catholic home for troubled boys in Marrero, where she served for 26 years. The plaintiffs’ were between the ages of 4 and 14 at the time, and in many cases named staff members and recounted specific beatings and incidences of rape or sexual molestation.
In March 2006, Sister Gertrude Marie was named in another wave of lawsuits filed by eight more men who lived as children at Madonna Manor in the 1950s and 1960s, who alleged they were frequently beaten and sexually abused at the home. A total of 17 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse were named from Madonna Manor. The suits were settled for $5.2 million in 2009. Sister Gertrude Marie died in 2014.
In September 2019, she was again accused in a lawsuit, along with Monsignor Raymond Hebert, Sisters Martin Marie, Alvin Marie (her twin) and lay worker Charlie Earhart, of repeatedly physically and sexually abusing a boy over a period of 10 years, beginning in 1965, at Madonna Manor. The suit accused Sisters Alvin Marie, Gertrude Marie and Martin Marie of regularly hitting him with a paddle.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Archdiocese of New Orleans filed for federal bankruptcy protection in April 2020. Our lawyers are now offering free legal consultations to discuss your legal options as a survivor of sexual abuse by priests and other employees of the New Orleans Archdiocese.
Very strict filing deadlines will soon be set by the Bankruptcy Court. Most victims of abuse will never be able to recover damages if they miss this deadline, so please contact us to discuss your case today. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to [email protected].