Pope Declares Founder of Boys Town 'Venerable'

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed the "heroic virtues" of the Rev. Edward Joseph Flanagan, the founder of Boys Town, a Nebraska home for at-risk youths that gained national renown and inspired an Oscar-winning film. With this proclamation, Father Flanagan is now officially declared "venerable," the first step on a possible path to sainthood that could include beatification and canonization.

Why it matters

Father Flanagan's work at Boys Town, which he founded in 1917 to provide shelter and mentorship for homeless and troubled youth, has had a lasting impact. The organization he started continues to operate today, still committed to Flanagan's belief that "there are no bad boys" and that with the right environment and support, all children can thrive.

The details

Flanagan was born in Ireland in 1886 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1904. He was ordained as a priest in 1912 and began working in the Diocese of Omaha in 1913. Flanagan started mentoring boys in the juvenile justice system and established his first home for boys in 1917 in downtown Omaha. In 1921, he bought a farm on the outskirts of Omaha and built what became the campus known as Boys Town, which by the 1930s housed hundreds of boys with their own elected government. Flanagan also traveled to postwar Japan to help develop a child welfare program, and in 1946 he visited his native Ireland, criticizing the country's system of industrial schools and reformatories as exploitative. Flanagan died in 1948 at the age of 61.

• Flanagan was born in 1886 in Ballymoe, Ireland.
• Flanagan immigrated to the U.S. in 1904.
• Flanagan was ordained as a priest in 1912.
• Flanagan began working in the Diocese of Omaha in 1913.
• Flanagan established his first home for boys in 1917.

What’s next

The next steps in the process of Father Flanagan's potential sainthood would be beatification and ultimately canonization.