Inspired by Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum on social problems and the Holy Spirit, our Society was founded by Sister Margaret Slachta on May 12, 1923, "with the purpose of bringing the old traditional form of religious commitment from the heart of the desert into the center of life and this way to respond to the personal and social needs of our modern world."
Sister Margaret founded the Sisters of Social Service (SSS) in 1923. The members of the Society made the social mission of the Church the motivating thrust of their lives. They embraced Benedictine spirituality and had a special devotion to the Holy Spirit. The Sisters dedicated themselves to God by vows.
During World War II, under the leadership of Sister Margaret, the Sisters made heroic efforts to resist Nazism and to save the lives of persecuted Jews. Sister Sara Salkahazi was martyred for sheltering Jewish people.
After the war, Sister Margaret was again elected to Parliament, and along with Cardinal Mindszenty, was part of the resistance against Communism.
She was forced to leave Hungary during WWII because of daring attempts to save others' lives, fearlessly risking her own.
She moved the central government of the Community to Buffalo, New York in 1949 where she lived and worked until her death in 1974.
