DUNWOODIE — Father Edward Flanagan, who was declared venerable by Pope Leo XIV on March 23, began his journey to the priesthood 120 years ago at the same seminary where priests from the Diocese of Brooklyn study today.
According to the Father Flanagan League, the future founder of Boys Town entered St. Joseph’s Seminary and College, located in the Yonkers neighborhood of Dunwoodie, in 1906 intending to become a priest for the Archdiocese of New York.
However, he contracted double pneumonia and dropped out of the seminary in his first year because doctors warned him that he would need a long time to recover. He went to Omaha, Nebraska, where his brother Patrick lived, and where his sister Nellie, who traveled with him, could take care of him.
He was ordained in 1912 and serve as a priest for the Archdiocese of Omaha.
While his illness made his stay at St. Joseph’s brief — less than a year — his short tenure wouldn’t have been all that unusual for the time, said Father John Cush, director of seminarian admissions and recruitment.
RELATED: Father Edward Flanagan’s Legacy
“Like many seminarians of his time, he studied at multiple institutions … shaped by both practical needs and the and the growing church in America,” Father Cush explained. “His formation, rooted in theology, pastoral care and concern for social issues, prepared him for his life’s work.”
It was while serving as a parish priest in Omaha in 1917 that he founded Boys Town, a non-profit organization to provide housing, education, job training, and health care in a nurturing environment for at-risk boys from low-income or troubled families.
Located 10 miles outside Omaha, Boys Town eventually grew to become its own community complete with its own mayor, post office, chapel, gymnasium, and other facilities. It is still operating today.
Father Flanagan was immortalized on the big screen in the 1938 Hollywood movie “Boys Town”, in which he was portrayed by Academy Award winner Spencer Tracy.
The declaration by the Holy Father making him venerable puts Father Flanagan (1886-1948) a step closer to sainthood. Venerable means that Pope Leo XIV recognized Father Flanagan as having lived a life of virtue. The next step in the sainthood process is for him to be declared blessed, which can only come if a miracle is attributed to him. If that happens, Father Flanagan will be beatified. He would then be canonized a saint if a second miracle can be attributed to him and verified by the Vatican.
His cause for canonization was opened by the Archdiocese of Omaha in 2012. Archbishop Michael McGovern of Omaha said he was overjoyed at the news of the venerable designation.
“We continue to pray that he will one day be beatified and ultimately declared a saint,” he said in a statement. “In the meantime, we will continue to work to affirm the dignity of every person created in God’s image by serving the poor, the abandoned, and the vulnerable, especially at-risk youth.”
Father Flanagan was an Irish-American (he moved to the U.S. from Ireland in 1904 and became an American citizen in 1919). The venerable designation was greeted with excitement by Irish-Americans in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
“I am delighted. He was a wonderful man,” said Anne Nolan, a parishioner of St. Luke’s Church in Whitestone, who is familiar with his life story. “He was born in County Roscommon. I was born in County Galway, which is right next to Roscommon. So, we knew all about him.”
The fact that Father Flanagan is now venerable is likely to bring Irish-Americans closer to their faith, Nolan said. “We were brought up with great faith in Ireland, and this is going make us even stronger in our faith,” she added.
Father Flanagan epitomized the spirit of generosity of the Irish, said Mary Mooney, a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Queens Village. “Irish immigrants have given back wherever we could in this country and it’s really nice to see him move up this way,” she said.
Calling him a “great example of a good, dedicated priest,” Mooney said, “Our prayers will go with him, hopefully all the way to canonization.