Sister Mary Slattery, H.M. professed her perpetual vows as a Sister of the Humility of Mary on Sunday, September 2, 2007 during the Liturgy of Final Profession in Magnificat Chapel at Villa Maria, Pennsylvania. Rev. Joseph J. Fortuna, STD, pastor of Ascension of Our Lord Church in Cleveland, Ohio presided at the Liturgy.
The Sisters of the Humility of Mary welcomed Sister Mary as a candidate August 6, 2000. She began her novitiate January 28, 2002 and professed temporary vows February 8, 2004.
Sister Mary is the daughter of John and Joan Slattery, both deceased. She has three brothers, Mark of Brunswick, Ohio; Neal of Texas; and John of Cleveland. Her sister, Joan Walden, resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. She has seven nieces and nephews and three beautiful grand-nieces.
Sister Mary entered the Sisters of the Humility of Mary from St. Ambrose Parish in Brunswick, Ohio. She is currently a member of Ascension Parish where she serves as catechist, lector and Eucharistic minister.
A 1979 graduate of Brunswick High School, Sister Mary received her BA in 1984 from Saint Mary of the Woods College in Indiana. She is currently a student at Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, Ohio where she is completing a Masters degree in Art Therapy Counseling.
Sister Mary has been ministering as an Art Therapy intern since August, 2006, serving women who have been touched by homelessness at the Women’s Outreach Center, the Community Women’s Shelter and New Life Community Transitional Housing in Cleveland. She has also offered art therapy experiences to women at the AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland.
Previously Sister Mary served as a staff member at Heartbeats and the Villa Montessori Center, ministries of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary. She has also been a volunteer at Westside Catholic Center in Cleveland.
Sister Mary offered this reflection on the vows she made September 2: "Since joining the Humility of Mary Community, I have been on a journey of living into the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. The vows have freed me in so many ways. They are about saying ‘Yes’ to an invitation to discover God’s dreams for me. Throughout this discovery process, I have nurtured many wonderful relationships, grown in trust and reliance upon God, and have come to hear God’s voice spoken to me through all those I am called to be with. God’s dreams for me are unfolding before me. And I am so grateful."