“If you want to save the future, start by saving the children.” – Father Flanagan
Those of us in the pro-life movement know this well. If we are to create a culture of life, we must protect and cherish all people—from creation until death. The pro-abortion culture often accuses pro-life people of not caring for babies after they are born. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We see examples of this in foster homes, in adoptive homes, in Catholic hospitals and shelters, and in the works of saints and holy men and women.
Though not yet a saint, Father Edward Joseph Flanagan, born in Ireland in 1886, was the epitome of Catholic compassion and love for his fellow human beings, especially children. The profound impact he had on the young men in his care and the lasting impact he had on society created ripple effects that will last indefinitely. And on Tuesday, October 8, you can watch a new documentary about the life of this incredible priest.
Narrated by Jonathan Roumie, Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story is a one-night Fathom Event created by Spirit Juice Studios and the Father Flanagan League that beautifully tells the story of a priest who devoted his life to young boys who had no one to care for them.
Who was Father Flanagan?
Father Flanagan grew up in a devout Catholic family in Ireland and came to America in 1904. He desired to become a priest and soon entered the seminary. Because of sickness, he moved to Nebraska to live with family and recuperate; he later finished his studies and was ordained in Austria in 1912. He returned to America soon after and in 1913 was transferred to a parish in Omaha, Nebraska.
Father Flanagan began caring for poor and homeless men and even transformed an old boarding house into a shelter. As he grew to know the men, he realized that they all had one thing in common. All had come from broken homes or had been victims of parental neglect. None had come from a loving, intact family. It was then that he began to study family dynamics and found his calling.
The Father Flanagan League explains:
He decided to make an exhaustive study of the juvenile justice system and also immersed himself in studying the social theories and insights of his time. In the summer of 1917, he took seven boys from the courts, met with them three times a week and established a healthy routine for them. By November, he knew his purpose, and with the permission of Omaha Diocesan Bishop Jeremiah Harty on December 12, 1917, he moved five boys, ages eight to ten, into his first home for boys.
That number quickly grew to 32, then to 100, then to over 150. He enlisted the help of the Notre Dame sisters and a group of teachers and created a school for the boys so that each could be taught on his own level. The need was immense, as the boys kept coming; Father Flanagan knew he needed more space. So he built his own town.
The Father Flanagan League continued, “On May 18, 1921, [Father Flanagan] received the deed to Overlook Farm, constructed five buildings for his boys, and was able to move them to their new home by October 22, 1921. Overlook Farm is now the incorporated Village of Boys Town.”
For the rest of his life, Father Flanagan cared for homeless boys and gave them both a home and a family. It is estimated that he took care of over six thousand youth in his lifetime and that his programs and philosophies for caring for young boys have influenced leaders and governments across the world. Today, there are “Boys Town program locations in 10 states and Washington, DC, two hospitals (one on the main campus), a national training center and national hotline”—all of which provide “direct and indirect care to 1.4 million youth and families annually.”
To these young men, and even as they grew into adulthood, Father Flanagan lived up to his title, as he became a father to boys who had no one. In fact, according to Boys Town: “During WWII, many Boys Town alumni named Father Flanagan as their next of kin, underscoring his role as a father figure. The American War Dads Association even honored him as America’s No. 1 War Dad.”
‘Heart of a Servant’
In an XSpaces conversation, narrator Jonathan Roumie and Rob Kaczmark, codirector and executive producer, shared their feelings about not just the film but about Father Flanagan.
Kaczmark said one of the most inspiring things about the film was learning how Father Flanagan taught the boys to be strong, to be good Americans, and to strive for sainthood.
Roumie agreed, calling Fr. Flanagan a “revolutionary warrior” who was “Christ to the poorest, the neediest, and the most vulnerable in society at the time.”
Roumie went on to explain that Father Flanagan was the “epitome of what it meant to enact Catholic social justice teachings, from dignity of the human persons to caring for the poor and the vulnerable.”
Father Flanagan’s example is living proof that we all have the opportunity to live out those values and principles in our lives and to model Christ’s love to those around us.
With actual footage from Father Flanagan’s life, the film, according to Roumie, is “profoundly moving” as it teaches that “being Christ to the most vulnerable in our society is something that is feasible for each and every one of us” and that “there is nothing stopping us from being witnesses of Christ to the most neglected people on the planet.”
Indeed, this is the charge Jesus Himself gave us all.
If we open our eyes, we can see the vulnerable all around us—in the womb, on the streets, in shelters, in hospitals, and maybe even in our homes. So yes, Father Flanagan was right, “If you want to save the future, start by saving the children.”
Let us take this lesson to heart, and let us fill our lives and our minds with stories of holy men like Father Flanagan. Let us fill the theatres as we show the world that we thirst for stories of men like this holy priest. And let us allow their inspiration to lead us to care for the most vulnerable in our own lives.
This article first appeared in LifeSiteNews at lifesitenews.com/blogs/this-irish-american-priest-helped-build-a-culture-of-life-by-caring-for-thousands-of-neglected-children/?utm_source=most_recent&utm_campaign=catholic.
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