Images of a young Nicholas Harrison. (Image Credit: Nicholas Harrison)

By Adam Berls

nicholas harrison

‘I had to be silent’: Former student of Sacred Heart School relives schooling and alleged sexual abuse

Mar 18, 2026 | 4:01 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — Nicholas Harrison says he endured years of abuse while attending Sacred Heart School in Prince George during the 1970s. Now an actor, writer, and university instructor, Harrison is sharing his story in hopes of helping other survivors come forward.

For him, childhood memories of school are marked not by classrooms and friends but by fear. Harrison says the abuse began, when he was just five years old while attending Sacred Heart School. Stories of being beaten with an electrical cord and being thrown down a flight of stairs, not to mention numerous accounts of sexual abuse, are just some the horrific details that still plague Harrison. He alleges several staff members, including a priest and teachers subjected him to repeated physical and sexual abuse. Like many children in similar situations, he says he was too frightened and ashamed to speak out.

“I brought a bullet to school once. You know, thinking that there’s ways I could do something. But I was so, so helpless and caught in this trap of ‘I had to go through with it. I had to be silent, because if I didn’t, my family would would die, that God would kill my family.'” – Nicholas Harrison

Harrison says one of his abusers, would tell him that God saw what a dirty boy he was and it was his duty to punish Harrison for his sins, and that if he told his parents about the abuse, God would not love him and he and his family would go to hell.

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“I’m not a child anymore and I want to reconcile with that younger version of me that what happened to me was disgusting and it was wrong, and that I am not a bad person, that I am not dirty. I’m not all these things that I was told, like that God didn’t love me, that God had to punish me for my sins. And I’m thinking, what sins does a five year old have?” – Nicholas Harrison

Sacred Heart School in Prince George, B.C. (Image Credit: CKPGToday.ca Staff)

Nicholas says that his healing journey hasn’t been an easy one, but finding out that others are coming forward with their stories, provides a sense of relief to him.

“Just to understand that finding out that there’s other people coming forward and now finally, speaking out about what happened in Prince George, there’s a sense of relief that I’m not crazy.” – Nicholas Harrison

Nicholas has written publicly about his experiences, in the form of a book called Safe Space: A True Story of Faith, Betrayal, and the Power of the Force, hoping that sharing his story will encourage other survivors to come forward.

On March 19, we will hear about the legal action that Harrison has taken. There have been a lot of legal hurdles and challenges, but Harrison says he’s not giving up.

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Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com