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Father Edward Flanagan believed no child was beyond hope — that love and faith, not circumstance, would determine a young person’s future. He gave everything to that belief. Financial hardships, critics who doubted him and years of pouring himself out for children others had abandoned never moved him from the work he believed God had called him to do.
That perseverance is what brought nearly 600 people together at Dowd Memorial Chapel on Sunday, Sept. 13, to give thanks.
The archdiocese of Omaha, Boys Town and the Father Flanagan League hosted a Mass of Thanksgiving honoring Venerable Father Edward J. Flanagan, celebrating Pope Leo XIV’s recognition of his heroic virtue. Because of limited seating, the Mass was ticketed. Archbishop Michael G. McGovern presided, joined by Archbishops Emeriti Elden Curtiss and George Lucas, members of the Knight of Columbus Father Flanagan of Boys Town Council #652 and the Omaha Ancient Order of Hibernians — Father Flanagan Division. Father Flanagan’s own family was in attendance, alongside supporters of his cause who had traveled to be there.
The celebration reached far beyond Boys Town’s campus. The Mass was livestreamed on the Archdiocese of Omaha’s YouTube channel, EWTN, Spirit Catholic Radio and other platforms. OSV News, the Catholic Voice and WOWT covered the occasion, and members of the Father Flanagan League in Ireland watched and rejoiced from across the Atlantic.
I had the privilege of being part of that day, and what moved me most was the sense of recognition — not only for what Father Flanagan accomplished, but for how he lived. His approach to caring for children of all races and faiths, at a time when that was far from common, was not simply a social vision. It was a spiritual one. He saw the face of God in every child who came to him and acted on that belief every day of his life. After years of careful review, the Church confirmed what we have always known.
As moving as it was to witness that celebration, Father Flanagan’s greatest legacy has never been a title or an announcement. It lives in the young people whose lives have been shaped by the mission he started — children who came to Boys Town carrying burdens no child should face, and who left with hope skills and knowledge that they are loved. They are his miracles. They always have been.
One of the most enduring ways that mission remains visible is through Dowd Memorial Chapel, standing at the heart of Boys Town’s home campus. Built through the generosity of Mary Dowd and the faith of Father Flanagan himself, the chapel continues to welcome youth, alumni and visitors who come to celebrate Mass, to pray or simply to sit in its quiet beauty and be reminded they are not alone. Your support of the Mary Dowd Society helps ensure Dowd Chapel remains that visible sign of the holy life Father Flanagan gave entirely to God and to the children in his care.
