“Philomena,” is one of the most popular and celebrated films of 2013. Starring Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, it tells the true story of an unwed Irish mother, Philomena Lee, who was forced to give up her son for adoption to an American family.
The Shame of Unwed Mothers
In 1952, Lee was pregnant, unmarried, and a sudden social outcast. Her family sent her to Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea, Ireland. Managed by Catholic nuns, the home was a place of physical labor and moral shame. After giving birth to their children, the women were made to stay for four more years, the work seen as acts of repayment and repentance. The women toiled away in the laundries and kitchens, with no pay and no appreciation.
Like so many women taken to Sean Ross Abbey, Lee was brought to tears and indescribable sorrow at the sight of her son, who she named Anthony, being taken away by the American family. 50 years later, Lee can still remember seeing her son’s face through the back window of the car, staring back at the abbey and the only mother he had known.
A Life of Shadows
After leaving the abbey, Lee did her best to lead a normal life. She married, and gave birth to a daughter and another son. However, too embarrassed and ashamed of her past, Lee kept her past locked in the shadows. Due to the pledge of surrender she signed at the abbey, Lee carried around the fear that she would “burn in the fires of hell if she ever uttered to anyone about her shameful secret.”
However, she eventually enlisted the help of British journalist, Martin Sixsmith. With his assistance, they were able to discover the truth behind her son’s life in America.
In 2009, after much research, Sixsmith published his book, “The Lost Child of Philomena Lee.” The book offers a glimpse into the life of Anthony Lee, who was renamed Michael Hess. He became a very successful lawyer and a top official for the Republican Party in Washington D.C. However, due to his contraction of A.I.D.S., Anthony died in 1994.
Forgiveness and a New Movement
After learning of her son’s death, Lee wanted to help other women who had suffered her same fate. Along with the help of her daughter, they have founded “The Philomena Project,” an effort to help the Irish government reveal the secret adoption records for the mothers and children who became separated so many years ago.
On February 6, 2014, Lee and the film portraying her life reached new heights. The film was screened at the Vatican and Lee was an honored guest of Pope Francis. She hopes that he can help shed light on the past and the 60,000 women and lost children who endured her same pain.
