Father William Slattery, C.M.

The Baltimore Boy Who Led a Worldwide Order

William Slattery was born on May 7, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland. He entered the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), the religious order founded by Saint Vincent de Paul, and was ordained in 1920. Over the next two decades, he rose through the ranks of Vincentian leadership in the United States, recognized for both his administrative ability and his deep spiritual life.

In 1947, at the age of 51, Father Slattery was elected Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity. He was the first American-born priest to hold the position and the youngest Superior General in over 150 years. He now governed 36 provinces and more than 45,000 charitable foundations worldwide.

During his 21 years in office (1947 to 1968), Father Slattery made two transformative decisions. First, he moved the General Curia of the Congregation from Paris to Rome, bringing the order closer to the Holy See. Second, and more remarkably, he reformed the tenure of Superior General from a lifetime appointment to a fixed term. He then stepped down when his own term ended, practicing the reform he had enacted.

Father William Slattery died on August 10, 1982, at the age of 87. His cause for canonization is under consideration, and he has been declared a Servant of God.

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