Pope Leo puts Father Flanagan of Boys Town fame a step closer to possible sainthood
With Pope Leo XIV's proclamation, the priest commonly known as "Father Flanagan" is now officially declared "venerable."
Pope Leo XIV put the Rev. Edward Joseph Flanagan a step closer to possible sainthood Monday as he proclaimed the "heroic virtues" of the founder of Boys Town , a Nebraska home for at-risk youths that gained national renown and inspired an Oscar-winning biopic performance.
Omaha Archbishop Michael McGovern said he is "overjoyed" with the news.
"We continue to pray that he will one day be beatified and ultimately declared a saint," the archbishop said in a statement. "In the meantime, may we 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."
Flanagan was born in Ballymoe, Ireland, in 1886 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1904. He was ordained a priest in 1912 and began work in the Diocese of Omaha in 1913.
He provided shelter for homeless men, whose stories convinced him that many adult troubles are rooted in broken homes and parental neglect, according to his biography on the website of the Father Flanagan League, a society dedicated to promoting his cause for sainthood.