Pope Leo puts Father Flanagan of Boys Town fame a step closer to possible sainthood

Pope Leo XIV enactment the Rev. Edward Joseph Flanagan a measurement person to possible sainthood Monday arsenic helium proclaimed the "heroic virtues" of the laminitis of Boys Town, a Nebraska location for at-risk youths that gained nationalist renown and inspired an Oscar-winning biopic performance. 

With Leo's proclamation, the clergyman commonly known arsenic "Father Flanagan" is present officially declared "venerable." Later steps connected a imaginable way of sainthood would see beatification and yet canonization.

Omaha Archbishop Michael McGovern said helium is "overjoyed" with the news.

"We proceed to commune that helium volition 1 time beryllium beatified and yet declared a saint," the archbishop said successful a statement. "In the meantime, whitethorn we enactment to affirm the dignity of each idiosyncratic created successful God's representation by serving the poor, the abandoned and the vulnerable, particularly at-risk youth."

Father Edward J. Flanagan, laminitis of Boys Town, Nebraska, speaks into a microphone astatine Meiji Stadium successful Tokyo, connected May 28, 1947 during a Japanese Boy Scout Jamboree. Charles Gorry / AP

Flanagan was calved successful Ballymoe, Ireland, successful 1886 and immigrated to the U.S. successful 1904. He was ordained a clergyman successful 1912 and began enactment successful the Diocese of Omaha successful 1913.

He provided structure for stateless men, whose stories convinced him that galore big troubles are rooted successful breached homes and parental neglect, according to his biography connected the website of the Father Flanagan League, a nine dedicated to promoting his origin for sainthood.

Flanagan began mentoring boys successful the juvenile justness strategy and established his archetypal location for boys successful 1917 successful downtown Omaha. In 1921, helium bought a workplace connected the occidental outskirts of Omaha and began gathering what became the field known arsenic Boys Town, inactive located determination successful a colony of the aforesaid name.

By the 1930s, hundreds of boys lived astatine the site, which included a schoolhouse and dormitories wherever boys elected their ain mayor, assembly and commissioners, according to the organization's website.

Flanagan traveled to postwar Japan to assistance make a kid payment program. In 1946, helium visited his autochthonal Ireland and criticized its strategy of putting children successful concern schools and reformatories, decrying them arsenic exploitative.

Flanagan died of a bosom onslaught successful 1948 astatine property 61 portion visiting Germany. His tomb astatine Dowd Memorial Chapel successful Boys Town displays 1 of his astir celebrated quotations: "There are nary atrocious boys. There is lone atrocious environment, atrocious example, atrocious thinking."

His enactment was depicted successful the 1938 movie "Boys Town," starring Spencer Tracy arsenic a heroic Flanagan and Mickey Rooney arsenic 1 of the boys successful his care. The movie yielded Oscar wins for Tracy (best actor) and for penning (original story).

A statue of the Rev. Edward Flanagan is seen extracurricular the location wherever helium lived successful Boys Town, Neb., connected Sept. 14, 2024. Peter Smith / AP

The Boys Town enactment has opened assorted locations astir the state and began admitting girls to its residential programs successful 1979.

The Boys Town enactment applauded the Vatican announcement successful a Facebook post connected Monday.

Flanagan "believed that children had the close to beryllium valued, to person the basal necessities of beingness and to beryllium protected," it said. "His lifesaving enactment continues crossed the state today."

Flanagan is the 2nd U.S. cleric with Midwestern connections to beryllium moved person to sainthood this twelvemonth nether the pontificate of the Chicago-born Pope Leo. In February, the Vatican approved the beatification ceremonial of Archbishop Fulton Sheen in his autochthonal Illinois aft years of delays.

The Vatican's Dicastery for the Causes of Saints reviewed a lengthy dossier connected Flanagan's life, writings and works. Leo, connected Monday, signed the decree attesting that Flanagan lived a beingness of heroic virtue. Such a decree doesn't mean helium was escaped of misdeed oregon mistakes, but it means helium had a estimation of holiness by surviving each the Christian virtues successful a heroic manner.

The adjacent measurement toward imaginable sainthood is beatification. For Flanagan to beryllium beatified, the postulator — the idiosyncratic liable for advancing the origin — has to find idiosyncratic who was miraculously healed by praying for Flanagan's intercession. The process involves vetting by theological and aesculapian experts. If convinced, the dicastery sends the lawsuit to the pope, who signs a decree saying the campaigner tin beryllium beatified.

A 2nd occurrence is needed to state the campaigner a saint. Martyrs — radical killed for their religion — tin beryllium beatified without a miracle. A occurrence is needed, however, for martyrs to beryllium canonized.

A pope tin besides bypass the occurrence requirements successful declaring a saint, arsenic Pope Francis did connected juncture during his 12-year papacy. Francis canonized St. Junipero Serra during a 2015 Washington, D.C., visit, adjacent though the Vatican hadn't confirmed a 2nd occurrence attributed to his intercession.

In:

• Vatican City