Mary Gertrude Banahan (c. 1856 – 17 March 1932) was a New Zealand

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...

and teacher. She was born in Ireland, where she joined the

Brigidine Sisters The Brigidine Sisters (also known as the Brigidine Order, or simply the Brigidines) are a global Roman Catholic congregation, founded by Bishop Daniel Delany in Tullow, Ireland on 1 February 1807. The sisters' apostolate is education. Backgroun ...

as a novice in 1873. She and other sisters immigrated to Australia in 1883, to operate a school. In 1898, she was part of a group of sisters invited to establish the Brigidine order in Masterton, New Zealand. She helped establish St Bride's Convent at Masterton. Banahan served as superior in several convents until her death in 1932.

References

New Zealand educators New Zealand women educators Irish emigrants to New Zealand People from Masterton Writers from County Laois 19th-century Irish nuns 1856 births 1932 deaths 20th-century New Zealand Roman Catholic nuns Irish emigrants to colonial Australia Brigidine Sisters {{NewZealand-reli-bio-stub