He left children bloodied. He terrified them.

But in a Sydney court his victims, now men in their late 50s and 60s, cheered as Judge Peter Whitford sentenced Cable, 83, to 16 years jail, and he was led away.

"I was bleeding after he raped me one day and he said to me 'You've got the blood of a jackal in you. Your mother must have been a jackal'," said a victim, who cannot be identified, who was 12 when he was brutally raped on a weekly basis for at least a year in 1965.

"I've never forgotten it. He said I was Satan because I wasn't a Catholic. It takes it out of you, having to tell people what happened to you, but it was worth it. He's gone. The mongrel's gone."

Cable must serve at least eight years jail for crimes against 21 former students at Maitland Brothers schools at Maitland, Hamilton and Pagewood between 1960 and 1974.

He was found guilty of 13 serious offences against two boys at Maitland and Pagewood after a trial in March.

Cable entered guilty pleas to crimes against nine other victims several days later.

Marist Brothers Australia issued a statement on Thursday condemning "any abuse committed by Romuald...during his time as a Brother".

The organisation also assured victims that significant steps had been taken to improve child protection over the past 20 years.

"Both the Marist Brothers and the Catholic dioceses are publicly committed to this," the statement said.

"We continue to encourage anyone who has been abused at a Marist institution to report the matter to the police or contact our Professional Standards Office at (02) 8752 8205".

The organisation also condemned Romuald's apparent lack of contrition.

"That this man, who ceased being a Brother in 1978, has shown no remorse is very disturbing," the statement said.

"We say again how sincerely sorry we are for the life-time damage inflicted on innocent young people while in our care.

"We reiterate our apology to his victims and their families for what has taken place."