 Schlatter was born in the village of Ebersheim, Bas-Rhin, near Sélestat, in Alsace on April 29, 1856.In 1884 he emigrated to the United States, where he worked at his trade in various cities, arriving in Denver, Colorado, in 1892.There, a few months later, he experienced a vision at his cobbler's bench in which he heard the voice of the Father commanding him to sell his business, give the money to the poor, and devote his life to healing the sick.