Société des Missions Africaines – Province d’Irlande

né le 22 septembre 1874 à Dorney dans le diocèse de Kerry, Irlande membre de la SMA le 21 décembre 1897 prêtre le 9 juin 1900 décédé le 11 mai 1957

1900-1904 Zeitoun, Egypte, professeur 1904-1905 Mahalla, Egypte, directeur 1905-1912 Tantah, Egypte, professeur 1912-1913 Wilton, supérieur et vice provincial 1913-1918 supérieur provincial 1918-1925 Kilcogan, supérieur 1925-1931 supérieur provincial 1931-1937 procureur provincial 1937-1947 Rome, supérieur général 1947-1953 Doughcloyne, supérieur décédé à Tralee, Irlande, le 11 mai 1957, à l’âge de 83 ans

A Tralee (Irlande), le 11 mai 1957, retour à Dieu du père Maurice Slattery, ancien supérieur général, à l'âge de 83 ans.

Maurice Slattery naquit à Dorney (Irlande), dans le diocèse de Kerry, en 1874. Il fit ses études à Wilton, à Cork et à Lyon, où il entra en 1896. Parti au séminaire de Choubrah, il y fit le serment en 1897 et y fut ordonné prêtre en 1900. Il resta en Egypte comme professeur, puis comme directeur à Zeitoun, puis professeur à Tanta. Les qualités déployées tant à Zeitoun avec les pères Bruhat et Faillant, qu'à Tanta avec le père Chabert dont il fut l'ami et le collaborateur intime, désignaient le père Slattery pour lancer la province d'Irlande. Vicaire provincial en 1912, il succède au père Kyne comme provincial dès l'année suivante. Premier supérieur du noviciat de Kilcogan en 1918, de nouveau provincial en 1925, il est nommé économe général en 1931. Tous ceux qui ont connu le père Slattery ont pu apprécier et admirer les remarquables qualités d'administrateur et de réalisateur qu'il déploya en ces diverses et importantes charges.

Le 8° assemblée générale (1937) élit le père Slattery comme supérieur général. Il réalise un projet déjà ancien en transférant à Rome la maison généralice, mais la guerre empêche le père de donner suite à ses projets. Pour rester en contact avec ses confrères, il envoie des lettres circulaires fort appréciées même de personnes et d'ecclésiastiques étrangers à la Société.

Non réélu en 1947, il se retire en Irlande et lance la maison de Doughcloyne à Cork pour les étudiants noirs. Dans les derniers mois de sa vie, ses confrères le voyait décliner rapidement. Glanons quelques phrases dans ses nombreux écrits.

"Mon idéal serait de voir notre chère Société unie comme une grande famille chrétienne, dont tous les membres se connaissent et sont animés de la résolution de se consacrer sans réserve à la conversion de l'Afrique."

"Le plus grand facteur dans l'éducation est l'exemple. Donnez-moi dans nos collèges des prêtres saintement instruits et je tiens pour règle qu'ils nous fourniront des prêtres et des missionnaires à leur mesure."

"Nous avons une raison particulière d'être reconnaissants à notre Fondateur, car non seulement il nous a obtenu de Dieu la grâce de la vocation missionnaire, mais, ce qui est bien plus, il nous a montré par sa vie et par son exemple, comment vivre et mourir grand missionnaire."

"C'est un grand défaut pour un missionnaire de se complaire dans son petit coin, satisfait des progrès de son petit troupeau, se contentant de consacrer tous ses soins à conserver ce qu'il a reçu... Jamais un missionnaire animé du véritable esprit apostolique ne critiquera les Noirs, encore moins les traitera-t-il avec rudesse... Les trésors du bon missionnaire sont l'amabilité de sa parole, sa patience exemplaire, son application à l'étude des langues indigènes..."

"Que Dieu nous donne à tous la parfaite compréhension de la faiblesse humaine et la patience inlassablement aimante du Christ. Notre ennemi réel est le confrère amoureux du bien-être, cherchant ses aises et la pleine liberté de faire ce qui lui plaît et n'acceptant que peu ou rien du joug très doux du Christ."

Father Maurice SLATTERY (1874 - 1957)

Maurice Slattery was born at Laccamore, Abbeydorney, Co Kerry, in the diocese of Kerry, on 22 September 1874. He died of heart failure, while holidaying with his relative, Mrs M. Brosnan, at Ballyroe House, Tralee, Co Kerry, on 11 May 1957.

Born into a family of eight boys and two girls, Maurice pursued his secondary studies at St. Joseph's college, Wilton, Cork (1893 1896) after which, in the autumn of 1896, he joined the Society's seminary at Lyon, France. Next he was sent to the Society's seminary at Choubra, Egypt, where he was admitted to membership of the Society on 21 December 1897. Maurice was ordained a priest in the seminary chapel at Choubra, on 9 June 1900. Other Irishmen ordained with Maurice were James O'Rafferty and Thomas Gibbons. The ordaining prelate was a Bishop Roveggio. After ordination Maurice remained on in Egypt, first as a teacher in the seminary, then as director of students in the Society's school at Zeitoun, and next as a member of staff in St. Louis college, Tantah. He was director of students at Mahalla, Egypt, from 1904 1905, and once more professor at Tantah, from 1905 1912. The qualities displayed during these years were such as to make him a likely choice for an important role in the launching of an Irish Province of the Society. In 1912 when the Province was founded, Maurice was appointed vice Provincial, and in the following year, in his 38th year, on 10 September, he succeeded Stephen Kyne as Provincial.

Maurice took charge at a time when the Province was facing a crisis of confidence. The ground work for creating the Province had been laid by Joseph Zimmermann (a Swiss member of the Society) who had been resident in Ireland since 1883. The erection of the Province coincided with a decision by Society superiors in Lyon to withdraw Fr. Zimmermann from Ireland because of long standing differences. The membership of the new Province (scarcely 20 priests and brothers) was divided on the question of Fr. Zimmermann's removal, while many of the bishops, clergy and laity who had supported him over the years, now withdrew their support from the new Province. This was the situation which Maurice faced when he assumed office in 1913. By the time his term came to an end, in July 1918, he had succeeded in restoring the confidence of the members, regaining much of the lost support and placing the Province on a sound financial footing. His sure touch reflected itself in the growing confidence of the Province's increasing number of missionaries in Liberia, Nigeria and Egypt, and in its flourishing training institutions in Ireland.

On 15 October 1913 Maurice had the joy of sending off to Liberia the first contingent of young priests ordained for the Province. They were John M. Collins (later bishop of Liberia), Peter Harrington (later American Provincial), Eugene O'Hea and William Shine (who was to die a year later). Each subsequent year he presided over a new 'departure ceremony', held in St. Joseph's church, Blackrock Road, on the feast of St. Theresa, patroness of the missions. One far seeing decision which he took early in his term was the foundation of the African Missionary, the Province's magazine which brought the missionary message into Irish homes. He himself was to contribute regularly to this journal throughout his long life. It's first edition appeared in January 1914. Scarcely less important was the establishment of the 'Missionary Shilling' promotion scheme, which brought large numbers of people into contact with the Society and raised badly needed revenue. The most obvious acknowledgement of his work between 1913 1918, was the decision by Propaganda Fide to confide the vicariate of Western Nigeria to the Province in 1918, two months after Maurice's Provincialship ended.

Between 1918 1925, as well as occupying the post of vice Provincial, Maurice was superior of the new novitiate and house of philosophy at Kilcolgan, Co Galway. During these years he made important additions to the house to cater for the growing number of students, acting often as his own architect and clerk of works. His approach to the training of students was liberal and open minded. At the Provincial Assembly of 1925 Maurice was once again elected Provincial. One of the pressing needs for the Province at this time was the provision of a suitable theological seminary, since the existing seminary at Blackrock Road was too small. Maurice acquired and adapted for this purpose a fine house and estate at Dromantine, Co Down. He remained Provincial until the Assembly of 1931 when he was appointed Provincial procurator by his successor, Stephen Harrington, entrusted with the day to day financial management of the Province.

At the 8th General Assembly of the Society held at Lyon in 1937 Maurice was elected Superior General. It was under his supervision that the Assembly's decision to move the Generalate from Lyon to Rome was successfully implemented. Maurice found a suitable house within a short distance of the Vatican at 324 via dei Gracchi. The outbreak of war in 1939 made it difficult for him to administer the Society as he would have wished, but he did manage to keep in contact with the members through circular letters. The war also interfered with his plans for an international house of studies that would group around the Superior General a chosen body of students from all the Provinces. His ten year term as Superior General (prolonged because of the war) came to an end in 1947, leaving him still in good health in spite of the privations and anxieties which he had endured and in spite of his 73 well filled years. After the General Assembly of that year (he was again succeeded by Stephen Harrington), Maurice returned to Cork where he was appointed first superior of a university hostel for African students attending U.C.C. (St. Francis Xavier's) founded at Doughcloyne outside the city limits. Maurice remained superior until October 1953 when, now seventy nine years old, he retired from active duty. He spent his last years living at Doughcloyne.

Maurice's life spanned almost three generations. Born in the relative peace of the Victorian era, he lived to see the turbulent birth of the atomic age. A fine figure of a man, well over six feet, he made an impression wherever he went not only by his appearance but also through the force of his strong personality. Highly regarded on all levels within the Irish Church and in Vatican circles, he won for the Province respect and esteem, so necessary for the accomplishment of its work in Ireland and in Africa. Maurice's strong features belied a sensitive and creative nature, which expressed itself in a number of small volumes of poetry and prose works. Maurice took a keen interest in social, economic and political questions and frequently wrote in newspapers and journals on the great issues of the day. Two of Maurice's brothers became priests: William and Tom, both who served in New South Wales, Australia and died in the 1930's.

He is buried in Wilton cemetery.