Hot! Sainthood Campaign Planned For Boys Town Founder Reuters

OMAHA, Nebraska Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:49pm EST

OMAHA, Nebraska (Reuters) - The Omaha Archdiocese will be launching some sort of plan regarding sainthood for Father Edward J. Flanagan, that Catholic clergyman who seem to started Boys Town along with whose account had been immortalized by way of an Academy Award-winning movie.

Flanagan specialist high of his lifetime to ministering that will orphans along with troubled youth, which is best remembered for towards throughout 1917 the particular Omaha orphanage Father Flanagan's Boys Home.

The archdiocese will basically available the particular canonization process which can be generally lengthy using a March seventeen prayer program from Boys Town 's Immaculate Conception Church.

Flanagan, which passed on in 1948, has been identified pertaining to thinking that each child serves as a productive resident in case assigned love, a new home, an instruction and a trade, as well as approved children of every single battle and creed. He will be quotation since saying, "There are usually no awful boys. There is just harmful environment, negative training, harmful example, bad thinking."

His report has been explained to throughout your 1938 film, " Boys Town ," starring Spencer Tracy, exactly who earned a very best actor Oscar pertaining to his or her portrayal with Flanagan.

The canonization method in order to sainthood commences inside archdiocese as well as goes toward your Congregation belonging to the Causes connected with Saints inside Rome and also to that pope. To often be canonized a saint, at the very least two amazing related to Flanagan must have been completed soon after his or her death.

Reverend Steven Boes, country wide executive director with Boys Town, reported in a very report that Flanagan will be getting identification they deserves.

"Though the process will always be looking proved wonders associated using Father Flanagan, most of us realize that miracles taken place daily inside their perform in order to heal infants inside mind, human body and also spirit," they said. "These every day miracles however arise when Boys Town remains Flanagan's do the job through conserving babies and healing family members today."

Flanagan came to be inside 1886 throughout County Roscommon, Ireland. He came up for the United States within 1904 and also has been ordained in 1912. He toured that United States talking about his vistas on juvenile delinquency.

After World War Two, President Harry Truman enquired Flanagan going world wide to get talks with regards to babies orphaned and also homeless with the war. During a tour involving Europe, he or she past away on the cardiovascular attack throughout Berlin, Germany, on May 15, 1948. He will be smothered in the church during Boys Town.

The canonization procedure features the actual possible for you to motivate the more as compared to 230,000 Catholics inside northeast Nebraska, said Deacon Tim McNeil, chancellor in the archdiocese, from a statement.

"If Father Flanagan becomes sainted, it would post a message to Nebraskans," McNeil said. "If they could possibly are living your holy along with exemplary your life within Omaha, why can not all of us all?"

(Editing simply by David Bailey and also Paul Thomasch )