Siblings meet for first time 60+ years after being adopted from abusive orphanage

St. Joseph's Orphanage survivors gather at Burlington's Kieslich Park Tuesday as local artist Clay Mohrman crafts a memorial sculpture for them to mourn, heal and find closure. (WPTZ via CNN Newsource)

BURLINGTON, Vermont (WPTZ) -- Three years ago, 70-year-old Dana Allen-LaPointe met his sister, Deborah Bouchard, for the first time.

The siblings were both sent to the now-defunct St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Burlington when they were born. They were only there together for a few months before Deborah was adopted.

“I have no memories of it, obviously,” said Bouchard. “But he [Dana] shared some of the things he went through.”

Dana was left behind, where he remained for nearly a decade. He says, like so many children before him, he suffered abuse at the hands of the Catholic order that was meant to care for them.

A multi-agency investigation found that many of the kids who lived there were harmed significantly. The orphanage closed in 1974. The trauma, Dana has only now begun to share.

“Ten years ago, we wouldn’t be talking about this. I just wouldn’t talk,” said LaPointe.

Dana has since connected with family he never knew he had, like Deborah, and a twin-sister, Donna.

“I’ve never met his sister. Well, our sister. His twin. She sent me photos of her as a young person, and I thought, ‘Wow, I can see the resemblance,’” said Bouchard.

Now, one Burlington artist, Clay Mohrman, is building a sculpture in Kieslich Park to give the survivors a place to come together, to mourn, and to heal.

“One survivor came down and said, ‘Oh my god, I didn’t realize how big it was going to be,’ and was blown away at the scale of it. It will leave such an impact on people,” said Mohrman.

Mohrman says he could not do it without some help from the community.

“Being able to be a part of creating a memorial space for them has just been a privilege,” said Mohrman.

Volunteers joined Clay on Tuesday in stripping bark from trees to be bent and inserted into the frame. All part of an arch that symbolizes more than just a fresh start for survivors.

“We are hopeful that this never happens to another child again,” said survivor Brenda Hannon.

Survivors tell NBC5 this memorial will help them finally get some closure.

“I was very skeptical. I was nervous when I came here. But after talking with the people here, we’ll come back. I’ll come back,” said LaPointe.

The project should be done by the end of the summer. It will ultimately be moved to a different spot in the park.

By Jackson Stoever, WPTZ