Edward Joseph Flanagan | |
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 Flanagan in 1938 | |
| Archdiocese | Omaha |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 26 July 1912 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Joseph Flanagan 13 July 1886 |
| Died | 15 May 1948 (aged 61) Berlin, Germany |
| Buried | Dowd Memorial Chapel Immaculate Conception Parish Boys Town, Nebraska, US |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Occupation | Founder of Boys Town |
| Education | Bachelor of Arts (1906) Master of Arts (1908) |
| Alma mater | Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, Maryland, US |
Ordination history of Edward J. Flanagan | |||||||||||||||
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The Right Rev. Monsignor Edward Joseph Flanagan (13 July 1886 – 15 May 1948) was an Irish-born priest of the Catholic Church in the United States who served for decades in Nebraska. After serving as a parish priest in the Catholic Diocese of Omaha, he founded the orphanage and educational complex known as Boys Town, located west of the city in what is now Boys Town, Douglas County, Nebraska. In the 21st century, the complex also serves as a center for troubled youth.
Flanagan's work became widely known, especially after he was played by Spencer Tracy in the movie Boys Town (1938). In the post-World War II era, Flanagan was invited by General Douglas MacArthur to visit Japan and Korea, and later Austria and Germany, to give him advice about improving conditions for children in the occupied countries.
In 2012 the Catholic Diocese of Omaha initiated the process for canonization of Fr. Flanagan. That year he was declared a "Servant of God". Documentation of the cause was sent to the Vatican in 2015.