Sr Rita Marie Hassan
Rita Marie’s parents, Phoebe and Henry Hassan, who were both of Irish descent, met in India where Phoebe had been brought up. Henry had travelled widely as a marine engineer and the young couple settled at first in Canada. Later, they moved to Hamilton where Rita Marie was born into this committed Catholic family.
There were six children all told: 3 boys, (one of whom died in infancy) and 3 girls. From Rita Marie’s account, their home was a very happy one. Her father managed the City water supply for Hamilton and the children, with their mother, enjoyed their occasional visits to him as he worked at the nearby Waikato River.
However, as a ten-year-old, Rita Marie’s mother died, placing responsibility on her older sister, Mary, who took over the managing of the household and looking after her younger siblings, including Rita Marie. By this time an older brother, Joseph, had left to join the Jesuits.
Mary, who entered our Congregation in 1947, and Rita Marie, along with other members of their family were very proud of Fr Joseph Hassan SJ.
As adults Mary and Rita Marie opened a hairdressing salon where they ran a thriving business as accomplished hairdressers and businesswomen. Their salon became well known in the Hamilton area as the one to visit and our local Sisters have fond memories of such visits. Here, and throughout her life, Rita Marie was a quietly strong person and very loyal.
Sport played a vital part in Rita Marie’s life. So, in the early 1940s, she along with a friend, Moira Stewart started up a local basketball team in Hamilton which they named St Mary’s Old Girls’ Basketball Team.
Rita Marie, having attended St Columba’s School in Frankton, St Mary’s School and Sacred Heart College in Hamilton, had experienced a long association with our Sisters. So, eventually, on 5 May when she was almost 30 years old, she was received as a Postulant in our Novitiate at Ferry Road, Christchurch.
After First Profession in 1954, her ministries were many and varied, beginning with teaching, along with caring for Boarders in Hamilton Convent. For the next 10 years she taught in local Catholic Parish Primary Schools around Hamilton, including Ellerslie, Waitara, Opotiki and Morrinsville and alongside this carried out domestic duties. Gardening, and her many other talents, were generously shared such as handwork, sewing and knitting.
In 1966, Rita Maria commenced teaching in our Secondary Schools, where her knowledge and skill in Mathematics especially, and English came to the fore. She also taught, in 1979 for a year in Rarotonga as Deputy Head and was later missioned to Tailemataolevai, an Agricultural Project in Samoa, on two different occasions, 1980 and again 1983.
In 1992, Rita Marie with her sister Mary, moved to Dannevirke Community, in Hawkes Bay, where they were much appreciated in their ministry of community service and Parish Pastoral involvement. Then in 2003, both Sisters moved to Hamilton East where they resided in Unit D of Notre Dame Court. There, Rita Marie continued with a ministry of Community Outreach.
In March and April of 2004 Rita Marie took part in an Age and Grace Seminar at St Rambert, France. This was a very enriching time for her. She appreciated meeting with our Sisters from other countries who were attending the Course and valued the input along with the life experiences provided during the Seminar. On returning to Hamilton East, she continued her pastoral outreach but her sister, Mary, was deteriorating in health and needed residential care. Rita Marie was constant in visiting her and was at Mary’s side when her Sister died in 2007.
A year later, Rita Marie herself needing residential care, moved to Assisi Home and Hospital. The staff here, including Chaplain Rev Msgr Frank Eggleton, were very attentive in their care of her. A nephew, Joseph Hassan, also residing at Assisi, enjoyed spending time with her.
In June 2021 Rita Marie’s family, along with our Sisters, gathered for the wonderful occasion of Rita Marie’s 100th birthday. During the festive celebrations there were indications that Rita Marie was both aware of what was happening and enjoying the auspicious occasion.
In the months following, Rita Marie’s health continued to decline, and she passed away very peacefully on 4 March 2022. Sister Mary Ellen who had been so attentive to Rita Marie, was present at her death.