Fr. Edward J. Flanagan

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What do you really know about Fr. Edward J. Flanagan? Probably not a lot right? Well, hopefully after you read my essay you will know all you need to know.

As a young boy Edward J. Flanagan knew he wanted to be a priest. He was born on July 13, 1886 on Leobeg Farm near Ballymoe, Roscommon, Ireland. In the summer of 1904 he sailed to America with his brother. In December, 1906 he suffered from double pneumonia and was sent home. During the 1910's he moved back to America. On July 26th, 1912, his dream came true and he was ordained a priest in Innsbruch.

He opened the Workingman's Hotel, in Omaha during 1916. It provided a place for young men to stay while looking for work. On December 12, 1917, he opened his first boy's home with a rent of 90 dollars he borrowed from a friend. He had an amazing understanding of boys and got along well with them. The home was located in a Victorian Mansion. The first five boys who lived there were wards of the court or homeless newsboys. The home quickly filled with 50 boys, because of this, some were turned away. He then chose to move to the German American home in 1918. Eventually 150 boys were living here. The boys were taught and had normal lives, but the building was soon outgrown. Fr. Flanagan wanted badly to purchase an overlook farm 10 miles west of Omaha. They finally got the chance. Fr. Flanagan and the boys moved in on October 22nd, 1921. They raised their own food, had fun, and went to school just like any other boys. The building had room for a baseball field, a track, and a football field.

Edward Flanagan and the boys raised enough money in March 1922 to buy the five story brick building that included classrooms, a dining hall, gym, chapel, hospital, and dorms. On February 14, 1926 the first student council decided on Boys Town as a name. By the 1930s the building was home to more than 280 boys and a new $400,000 building was on the way.

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On May 15th, 1948 Fr. Flanagan passed away. He died of a heart attack and was in Berlin, Germany at the time. There have been several movies made about Fr. Flanagan and his life. One of the most widely known is "Boys Town". This movie won an Oscar for the way the actor playing Fr. Flanagan portrayed him. There is even a blessed statue of him.

Fr. Flanagan was a wonderful man. He saw that everyone needed to be loved. He was not only the founder of Boys Town, but a friend, family member, and a priest to many.

His life has affected mine today because I have a very special place in my home town that reminds me of how to act. It reminds me that we shouldn't always put ourselves first, and that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.