{"id":2312,"date":"2015-05-21T15:28:34","date_gmt":"2015-05-21T15:28:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bkpdefunts.smainternational.info\/?p=2312"},"modified":"2015-05-21T15:28:34","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T15:28:34","slug":"le-pere-denis-slattery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.defunts.smainternational.site\/?p=2312","title":{"rendered":"Le P\u00e8re Denis SLATTERY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 des Missions Africaines \u2013 Province d\u2019Irlande<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"SLATTERY<\/td>\nn\u00e9 le 29 f\u00e9vrier 1916
dans le dioc\u00e8se de Cloyne (Irlande)
membre de la SMA le 29 juin 1936
pr\u00eatre le 17 d\u00e9cembre 1939
d\u00e9c\u00e9d\u00e9 le 7 juillet 2003<\/td>\n		\n

1941-1946 vicariat du B\u00e9nin, Nigeria
1947-1949 universit\u00e9 catholique de Washington, USA
1949-1954 vicariat de Lagos, Nigeria
1955-1999 archidioc\u00e8se de Lagos
1999-2003 Blackrock Road, Cork, retir\u00e9<\/p>\n

d\u00e9c\u00e9d\u00e9 \u00e0 l\u2019h\u00f4pital Sainte-Th\u00e9r\u00e8se, Cork (Irlande), le 7 juillet 2003,
\u00e0 l’\u00e2ge de 87 ans<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Father Denis Joseph SLATTERY (1916 – 2003)<\/p>\n

Denis Slattery was born in Fermoy, Co Cork, in the diocese of Cloyne, on 29th February 1916.
He died in St. Theresa\u2019s Unit, Blackrock Road, Cork, on 7th July 2003.<\/p>\n

Denis was one of six boys and two girls born to Catherine (nee Curtin) and Timothy Francis Slattery. He was born the seventh child on the odd day of a leap year, that of 1916 \u2013 a momentous year for Ireland – both circumstances in which he took great relish. The family home was at 65 MacCurtain Street, Fermoy. Denis received his secondary education from the Christian Brothers in Fermoy (1928-1932) and at St Joseph\u2019s College, Wilton, matriculating in 1934. He was then promoted to the Society\u2019s noviciate and house of philosophy at Kilcolgan, Co Galway. Two years later he entered the Society\u2019s major seminary at Dromantine, Newry, Co Down. Denis was received as a member of the Society on 29th June 1936. He was ordained to priesthood in St. Colman\u2019s cathdral, Newry, by Bishop Edward Mulhern of Dromore diocese, on 17th December 1939. He was one of a group of seven ordained on that day.<\/p>\n

After ordination Denis was appointed to the Vicariate of Bight of Benin, but because of the difficulties in obtaining a sea passage in wartime he did not reach Nigeria until May 1941. The convoy in which he travelled – the journey lasted thirty days – was bombed by German planes off L\u2019Havre and a number of ships were sunk. On arrival Denis was assigned to Ilawe-Ekiti mission where he studied Yoruba. Six months later he was appointed to the staff of St. Gregory\u2019s College, Obalende, Lagos, Nigeria\u2019s first Catholic Secondary school, founded in 1928. On completion of two academic years \u2013 during which, in addition to his teaching work, he distinguished himself as Games Master \u2013 Denis was appointed Manager of St. Paul\u2019s Press and Bookshop at Ebute-Metta. He spent the last two years of his first missionary tour as Editor of the Nigerian Catholic Herald, based in Yaba. Denis\u2019 success in this latter capacity led his Superiors to send him to the Catholic University of America, Washington D.C. in January 1947. Taking Sociology, Journalism and Economics for his subjects he was awarded a Master of Arts degree by this institution in the summer of 1949. The title of his Masters thesis was \u2018The Transition from slavery to a free Labour Movement in Nigeria, 1850-1948\u2019.<\/p>\n

On his return to Nigeria in September 1949 Denis renewed his editorship of the Nigerian Catholic Herald. A monthly magazine when he first became editor, Denis turned the Herald into what he described as \u2018a militant anti-colonial religious and political weekly.\u2019 Indeed this newspaper became important in moulding public opinion in the lead up to Nigerian Independence bringing Denis into close and friendly contact with leading Nigerian Nationalists including Dr. Nnamidi Azikiwe. The Herald was particularly influential during the discussions on the Constitutional Conference. Denis also addressed social issues and his published extracts from his MA thesis relating to \u2018Nigerian Railways\u2019 Workers and the killing of the Coal Miners in Enugu\u2019, aroused considerable interest, while the fearlessness of his reports during the Nigerian Railways Strike of 1948-1949 earned him the plaudits of Nigerians and the hostility of the colonial government. In June 1954 Denis visited America on vacation and took time to raise funds for the Lagos jurisdiction. Six months later he returned to Nigeria. He was to remain in the Lagos jurisdiction until September 1999 when ill-health compelled him reluctantly to retire. In all he was to spend some fifty-five years in Nigeria, making him one of the longest-serving missionaries in the Society and one of two members of the Irish Province to give such service.<\/p>\n

In 1955 Denis became founding principal of St Finbarr\u2019s College which started as a two-classroom building on Apapa Road before moving to its present site at Akoka. Denis was to guide this prestigious Grammar-cum-Technical school with a sure hand until 1976 when with other Catholic schools it was taken over by government. He devoted the remaining years of his missionary career to the pastoral ministry. He ministered in St. Denis Catholic Church, Bariga-Akoka \u2013 near his beloved St. Finbarr\u2019s – which he built and named. He also built and founded St Flavius Catholic Church, Oworonshoki, and St. Gabriel\u2019s church, Somolu. In addition he established St. Joseph\u2019s Vocational School, and Our Lady of Fatima Nursery and Primary School, both in Akoka. In 1985 Denis was appointed Vicar General of Lagos Archdiocese, a post which required him to take charge of the jurisdiction during the Archbishop\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n

Coming from a family keenly interested in sport, Denis\u2019 enthusiasm was given a very practical and important expression throughout his missionary career. In 1947 he became an accredited referee and a member of the Nigerian Association of Amateur Referees. He also pioneered the training of Nigeria\u2019s first indigenous referees. Despite his small stature he radiated authority when in possession of the referee\u2019s whistle. As a FIFA graded referee he took charge of a number of international matches involving Nigeria and the Gold Coast (now Ghana) as well as many FA finals. He took a keen interest in schoolboy sport, helping to establish the popular school soccer competition, \u2018The Principal\u2019s Cup\u2019 (known popularly as the \u2018Zard Cup\u2019) in 1949. His own school, St. Finbarr\u2019s, won this trophy in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Denis was also a member of the Nigerian Amateur Boxing Association. Moreover, putting his journalistic skills to good use, for many years he wrote a Sports Colum in the Lagos Weekend newspaper under the pen-name \u2018Green Flag\u2019.<\/p>\n

Denis received many honours during his life from the people he served so well. In 1989 he was conferred with chieftaincies by Imo State and Ile-Ife State. One of the chieftaincy titles fittingly hailed him as \u2018Enyi Oha 1 of Oru Ahiara Mbaise\u2019 (\u2018Friend of the People\u2019). The second title was that of \u2018Oosi Olokun-Ijio of Ife\u2019. Denis\u2019s long and distinguished service was recognised by the Nigerian government in their National Honours Awards for 2001. He received the Order of the Niger conferred on him during his retirement at Blackrock Road. A year later he was also to be honoured by the Fermoy Urban Council.<\/p>\n

In 1996, to commemorate his 80th birthday, Denis published his memoirs under the title My Life Story. This was launched at the Institute of International Affairs, Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island, Lagos. His age and status allowed him to speak openly on social, religious and political issues and he was widely reported. From the 1960\u2019s he was known as a staunch advocate and encouraging critic of the people of Nigeria in their search for self-expression and self-reliance as a nation.<\/p>\n

Denis celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his priesthood in 1989 and his Diamond Jubilee in 1999. The homilist at his funeral Mass said: \u2018There is no doubt that Denis took great pride in all his achievements. But his life was ultimately lived not to bring honour to himself but to give honour and glory to God.\u2019<\/p>\n

He is buried in Wilton Cemetery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 des Missions Africaines \u2013 Province d\u2019Irlande n\u00e9 le 29 f\u00e9vrier 1916dans le dioc\u00e8se de Cloyne (Irlande)membre de la SMA le 29 juin 1936pr\u00eatre le 17 d\u00e9cembre 1939d\u00e9c\u00e9d\u00e9 le…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-necrologe-sma"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.defunts.smainternational.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.defunts.smainternational.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.defunts.smainternational.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.defunts.smainternational.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.defunts.smainternational.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.defunts.smainternational.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.defunts.smainternational.site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.defunts.smainternational.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.defunts.smainternational.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.defunts.smainternational.site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}