Mother Mary Raphael Slattery, S.P., (January 17, 1863 – September 9, 1940) was the

Superior General A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of a religious institute in the Catholic Church and some other Christian denominations. The superior general usually holds supreme executive authority in the religious community, while t ...

of the

Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are an apostolic congregation of Catholic women founded by Saint Theodora Guerin (known colloquially as Saint Mother Theodore) at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840. Mother Theodo ...

, Indiana, from 1926-1938. During her term, her business sense helped the congregation through the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. In the midst of the Depression, Slattery had

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. Originally a college exclusively for women, it is now coeducational. It is the oldest Catholic college in Indiana a ...

, originally under the finances of the congregation, separately incorporated in order to protect its future. She oversaw the founding of Providence High School in Chicago, now known as

Providence St. Mel School Providence St. Mel School (PSM) is a private, coeducational Preschool-12th Grade school in East Garfield Park, Chicago, Illinois. History The school was created in 1969 with the merger of two schools, Providence High School and St. Mel High S ...

. Slattery also sent Sisters of Providence for the first time to minister in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Slattery also promoted among her

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 ...

s a devotion to

Our Lady of Providence Our Lady of Providence or Our Lady of Divine Providence is a title of Mary. Her feast day is celebrated on November 19. History The title of "Mary, Mother of Divine Providence" is often traced to her intervention at the wedding in Cana. Christ's ...

, encouraging them to share this devotion with their students. Born Mary Slattery in

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria. At the 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical ...

, Slattery entered the congregation on September 4, 1882 and was professed as a full Sister of Providence on August 15, 1885. She spent time ministering in

Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. History The site of present-day Valparaiso was included in the purchase of land from the ...

and at Saint Agnes Academy in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. Beginning in 1902, Slattery spent 24 years as Treasurer of the congregation until she was elected Superior General in 1926.Madden 1991, p. 240

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Slattery, Mary Raphael 1863 births 1940 deaths Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods People from Galesburg, Illinois Burials at the Sisters of Providence Convent Cemetery 20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns Catholics from Illinois 19th-century American Roman Catholic nuns