Edward James Slattery

The second of seven children, Edward Slattery was born on August 11, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois, to William Edward and Winifred Margaret (née Brennan) Slattery; both his paternal and maternal grandparents emigrated to the United States from Ireland.{{Cite web |title=Bishop Emeritus Edward J. Slattery |url=https://dioceseoftulsa.org/bishop-emeritus-slattery |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Coat of Arms |url=https://dioceseoftulsa.org/coat-of-arms |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa |language=en}}

After attending Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Grade School and Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago, Slattery studied at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, obtaining Bachelor of Arts and Master of Divinity degrees.

Slattery was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Chicago by John Cardinal Cody on April 26, 1966.{{Cite web |title=Bishop Edward James Slattery [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bslattery.html |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}} After his ordination, Slattery served as associate pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Parish in South Holland, Illinois, until 1971. During this time, he also earned a Master's degree from Loyola University Chicago. He served as vice-president (1971–1976) and president (1976–1994) of the Catholic Church Extension Society. While working at Extension, he was named associate pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Chicago in 1973.{{cite news |title=Biography |work=Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa |url=http://www.dioceseoftulsa.org/section.asp?secID=15&mainID=1 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028054550/http://dioceseoftulsa.org/section.asp?secID=15&mainID=1 |archive-date=October 28, 2010}} He served as pastor of St. Rose of Lima from 1976 to 1989.

On November 11, 1993, Pope John Paul II appointed Slattery as the third bishop of the Diocese of Tulsa. He was consecrated by John Paul II in Rome on January 6, 1994, with Archbishops Giovanni Re and Josip Uhac serving as co-consecrators, in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Slattery selected as his episcopal motto: "Tu Solus Sanctus", meaning, "You alone are the Holy One."

Pope Francis accepted Slattery's letter of resignation as bishop of Tulsa on May 13, 2016, appointing Father David Konderla to succeed him.

Slattery died on September 13, 2024, at the age of 84.{{cite web |title=Bishop Edward James Slattery † |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bslattery.html |website=Catholic Hierarchy |access-date=14 September 2024}}

{{Separation of church and state in the history of the Catholic Church|expanded = current}}

In 2006, Slattery said that if a law was passed criminalizing the act of aiding undocumented immigrants, "then [he] will become a criminal," adding,

"When it becomes a crime to love the poor and serve their needs, then I will be the first to go to jail for this crime, and I pray that every priest and every deacon in this diocese will have the courage to walk with me into that prison."{{cite news |date=April 3, 2006 |work=Catholic News Service |title=Calls for prayer, rallies, boycott mark immigration debate |url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0601928.htm |last=Zapor |first=Patricia |access-date=June 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007110830/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0601928.htm |archive-date=October 7, 2008 |url-status=dead }}

During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Slattery criticized the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then U.S. Senator Joe Biden both Catholics, for their remarks on abortion rights for women on the TV program Meet the Press. Slattery described their positions as "clearly inconsistent with Catholic teaching" and "plainly false."{{cite news |date=September 8, 2008 |work=Whispers in the Loggia |title=The Absolute Duty |url=http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2008/09/absolute-duty.html |last=Palmo |first=Rocco}}

Slattery was a conservative on question of liturgical practice. He returned to the practice of celebrating the Eucharistic liturgy in his cathedral using the ancient style in which the priest and the congregation face the same direction, ad orientem. He believed this form had a number of advantages over the form of in which the priest faces the congregation.{{cite news |url=http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/okla-bishop-no-longer-faces-people-mass |work=National Catholic Reporter |title=Okla. bishop no longer faces people at Mass |date=August 28, 2009 |access-date=May 13, 2016 |first=Dennis |last=Coday |archive-date=June 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603090723/http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/okla-bishop-no-longer-faces-people-mass |url-status=dead }}

On April 24, 2010, Slattery celebrated high mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., to mark the fifth anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI's papacy, wearing the rarely seen cappa magna.{{cite news|url=http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/look-mercifully-upon-thy-servant-benedict-people-pray-basilica-high-mass |work=National Catholic Reporter |title='Look mercifully upon thy servant, Benedict' people pray at basilica high Mass| date= April 26, 2010 |access-date=May 13, 2016 |first=Richard |last= Szczepanowski | agency=Catholic News Service}}

On February 2, 2012, Bishop Slattery released a statement in response to the contraceptive mandates issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Slattery joined other bishops in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in opposing the mandate.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dioceseoftulsa.org/article.asp?nID=4429 |title=Bishop Slattery's statement in response to HHS mandate |access-date=March 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228075541/http://www.dioceseoftulsa.org/article.asp?nID=4429 |archive-date=February 28, 2012 |url-status=dead }}

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20091211154123/http://www.dioceseoftulsa.org/images/photos/Bishop's%20letter%20B5B15.pdf pastoral letter] on immigration{{portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|Oklahoma}}

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{{s-bef|before=Eusebius J. Beltran}}

{{s-ttl|title=Bishop of Tulsa|years=1993–2016}}

{{s-aft|after=David Konderla}}

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{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa}}

{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Slattery, Edward James}}

Category:1940 births

Category:2024 deaths

Category:University of Saint Mary of the Lake alumni

Category:Loyola University Chicago alumni

Category:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago

Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Tulsa

Category:Clergy from Chicago

Category:American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent

Category:20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States

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Category:Religious leaders from Illinois

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Category:Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II

Category:Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre