Sisters Marie Hogan

Sr. Marie Hogan was born near Bristol, England, on February 1^st 1920, the fourth child in a family of four boys and three girls. When she was very young, the family moved to Gibraltar, where her father was stationed on a British army base. Their stay there was short-lived. After one year, they moved to Ireland, and settled in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, where Marie attended the local girls’ primary school, run by the Holy Faith Sisters. It seems this was not a very happy time for her.  She was a new-comer to the place and she found the teachers very strict, causing her to be over-anxious and worried.  However, Secondary school was a happier experience for her. A new family came to live next door, and Marie became very friendly with the daughter, Maureen.  She was to say that this changed her life, that she owed her growth in the faith, and indeed her religious vocation, to this family and it was through Maureen (later to be our Sr. Mary Bonaventure) that she went as a boarder to Deal, where she was very happy and where she met the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions.

Marie inherited her gift of music from her father who was “a keen violin player.” He would often gather the family together of an evening when they sang songs and played musical instruments.  She loved those evenings and maintained that they kept the family together.  She became an accomplished musician, a gift she was later to use in community and in her ministry.

Towards the end of her secondary school she felt that RNDM life was the one for her, and she decided to become a Sister of Our Lady of the Missions.  This was not well received by the family, especially by her father, a non-practising catholic. But she persisted, and it was her protestant mother who supported her in every way, winning over the father, and quietly getting together all that Marie needed before she left for Hastings in September 1938 where she became a postulant on 8^thof that month. She was received into the Novitiate on 18^th March 1939 and made First Profession on 19^th March 1941.

After her Profession, Marie remained in Hastings where she continued her study of music and, at the same time, gave piano lessons.  In 1944, she was sent to Deal, as music teacher initially, and later as a class teacher.   War was raging and it was a very difficult time for our Sisters in that coastal town.  Marie never forgot the bombing of the school and the killing of the two small boys who had gone back to collect their marbles.  But, in spite of the war, it was a very happy time for her. She loved teaching, was an excellent one and was loved by her pupils.

She returned to Hastings in 1945, where she taught music for two years before her Final profession in 1947. From 1948 to 1968 Marie was a valued member of several communities, Leeds, Leyland, Deal again, Hastings, where she was Juniorate mistress.  Wherever she went she gave of herself unsparingly, sharing her talents for music and craft.  Many sales of work benefitted from her beautiful, felt miniature animals.

In 1968 Marie commenced a course in Trinity and All Saints Teacher Training College, Leeds, after which she was appointed to St. Mary’s Star of the Sea school, Hastings. As in other schools, she was highly respected by her pupils and their parents. A past pupil of hers, from that time wrote, “You were my most positive role model as a child.  Your posture, your grace, your humility, your way of being, your gentleness, your inclusion, have always remained with me”.  What a tribute!

Her last school was Chew Magna (Somerset) Junior School where she was principal from 1982 to 1992.  Upon retiring, Marie spent a few months in Cathcart, Scotland, in pastoral ministry, and discerning what form her next mission might take. Little did she then realise that this period of discernment would change her life.  At the beginning of 1993, she commenced training to become an English teacher for students from abroad.  The course required the students to learn a new language, to discover how to teach English as a second language.  As their teacher was Lebanese, the language chosen was Arabic.  Marie threw herself wholeheartedly into the programme and enjoyed it.   She did exceptionally well, qualifying with a Diploma in the summer of 1993; she was then 73 years of age!  Personnel were needed at the time for Kabaa, Kenya.  Marie was asked to consider going there, for a short period, to help.  After prayer and reflection, she accepted her mission with her usual commitment, and joy at being chosen for the missions.  What was to be a short period, turned out to be seventeen years of great happiness, fulfilment and success!  She taught first, in Kabaa and later in Machakos, where she helped in a local school, taking educationally-poor pupils; and, at the same time, she helped our novices and young Sisters with their English. She would walk from Kataloni to the novitiate, wearing her beautiful white habit and little high-heeled shoes and talk to all she met on the way.  She never accepted a lift, saying she wanted to walk.  There was one exception to that rule. If the bishop happened to be passing she would accept a lift from him, thinking it would be impolite to refuse!! Her students from that time remember her enthusiasm as a teacher; she worked very hard, gave of her best and she expected them to do like-wise.

After hip surgery in late 90’s she joined the Ngong Road community, Nairobi.  However, it was evident that Marie’s health was beginning to decline and a decision was made that she would return to the UK/Ireland province.  It was not easy for her to leave Kenya.  She loved the country and its people, and spoke of her time there as one of the happiest in her religious life. But, like the faithful missionary she was, she accepted this as God’s plan for her, and fully entered into the life of the community in Deal, where she spent some happy years before moving to St. Anne’s, Sturry in 2014.

Marie was happy in Sturry.  She loved to have Sisters visit and even when her ability to speak failed, she remained the same serene, gracious lady who communicated with her smile and warm hand-shake.  She was lovingly cared-for by the Sisters and the wonderful lay staff.  Although her health was deteriorating towards end of 2019, we had hoped she would reach her hundredth birthday on February 1^st. But God had other plans; she was to celebrate it in Eternity, dying as she had lived, quietly and peacefully, on 25^th January, 2020.  Rest in Peace.

Her funeral Mass was celebrated in Sturry on 20^th February by Fr. Malachy Steenson (Cross and Passion), a joyful celebration for one who lived joyfully. Sisters from the London area and Deal joined the Sturry Sisters to bid farewell to Marie whose family was represented by two nieces and two nephews. After the Mass, Marie was laid to rest in the Sturry Cemetery where many RNDM’s are laid to rest.

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news” Isaiah 52:7