Sister Mary Gabriel Hogan (Ellen Hogan):
Unfortunately because of poor records kept at the time there are a few different dates of Ellen Hogan’s actual birth, but it was in August 1842, 1843 or 1844 in Dublin and died November 25th 1915, then put in her final resting place at Sandgate Cemetery, Newcastle.
Her parents were John Hogan and Mary McMahon.
When Ellen was either 7 or 8 years old she caught Scarletina (also known as Scarlet Fever) which left her profoundly Deaf, but because she did have those years of influence with the English language she did have something to build on as far as communicating was concerned.
Ellen started at St Mary’s Dominican school for the Deaf, Cabra in 1851. She became an assistant teacher’s aide around 1856 at a very young age and stayed there until 1864.
In August 1867 she became the first nun allowed to take vows with what was seen as a disability because she could not fulfil her requirements of a religious sister to announce her vows to god and be able to hear the word of the lord.
In 1871 a twelve year old Deaf girl named Catherine was accepted into St Mary’s Convent, Maitland N.S.W after her father (Patrick Sullivan) requested for her to get a Catholic education. The sister’s at the convent immediately wrote for assistance and Sister Mary Gabriel volunteered.
Sister Mary Gabriel was sent to The Star of The Sea Convent when she arrived in N.S.W in 1875 where Catherine Sullivan who was aged 16 now and Elizabeth Rewault aged 10 were waiting for her.
Only thirty children were admitted between 1875-1885, but by 1886 they required a new school, Sister Mary wrote to Cardinal Moran and asked them to look into the amount of Deaf children not receiving a good Catholic education and a school was built in Waratah, Newcastle called ‘Waratah Deaf and Dumb Institution’, but it was changed to ‘Rosary Convent, school for Deaf”.
The school used the method of Manualism to
References: http://genforum.genealogy.com/ireland/messages/27900.html http://www.opeast.org.au/discover-our-story/fx-obituaries.cfm?loadref=13