​​​​​​​​​​​​Boys Town founder Father Edward J. ​Flanagan was called on to help children ​both nationally and internationally. After ​World ​War II, President ​Truman asked him to travel to Asia and Europe to attend discussions about children left orphaned and displaced by the war. During a tour of Europe, he fell ill and died of a heart attack in Berlin, Germany, on May 15, 1948.​​

Funeral services for Father Flanagan were held here in the Dowd Memorial Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, ​located in the heart of his beloved Boys Town. Today, adjacent to the nave on the west side of the Chapel, is Father Flanagan’s Tomb.

Read the Omaha World-Herald article regarding Father Flanagan's Sainthood.

“…The work will continue, you see, whether I am there or not, because it is God’s work, not mine.” — Father ​Flanagan

Learn more about the canonization process for Father Flanagan.