July 13: Birthday of Edward Flanagan (1886)

 

Prayer Idea

Pray for children who don’t have a safe, loving home in which to flourish.


History Note

Edward Joseph Flanagan was born in 1886 in County Roscommon, Ireland. His parents were John and Nora Flanagan. Edward had ten brothers and sisters.

As a child, Edward learned to pray and work. He was frail child and struggled with illness into adulthood. Following some of his relatives, he emigrated from Ireland to America in 1904.

Flanagan became a Catholic priest in 1912 and began his ministry in Omaha, Nebraska. He opened the Workingmen’s Hotel, where men in need could find a bed and food. Here he talked to the men about their childhoods. He found that many of these wanderers were orphans. Some were children of divorced parents, and others came from poor families that did not meet the child’s physical needs. Flanagan learned that 90 percent of people who commit crimes began breaking the law as children. He realized that he could accomplish more by ministering to boys than to men. He believed that neglected boys become neglected men.

The juvenile court sent him two boys to take care of. He also befriended three boys on the streets of Omaha. In 1917, when Flanagan was 31 years old, he opened his first boys’ home in a Victorian mansion. Boys from Omaha and from elsewhere began showing up at the doorstep. He took in boys of any ethnicity or religion. The home quickly filled with 50 boys. As Flanagan cared for the boys, he realized how blessed he was during his happy childhood in Ireland.

The Catholic Church sent several nuns to help Flanagan, and their work grew. They moved to a location that could host 150 boys and then found a farm outside Omaha that became the Village of Boys Town. Boys Town received support from Catholics and Protestants who believed in Flanagan’s mission.

The boys of Boys Town came from every state, and Flanagan made life as normal as possible for them. They had academic and vocational training during the day. At night they participated in hobbies. Boys Town became an official village of the state of Nebraska. The boys elected their own mayor, council, and commissioners.

After World War II, Flanagan visited Japan, Korea, Austria, and Germany to provide advice on how to care for orphans and other children in those war-torn countries. Flanagan died while in Germany in 1948 at the age of 61. His body was flown back to Nebraska. He is buried in the chapel at Boys Town. By the time Flanagan died, he had helped care for about 5,500 boys.

Edward Flanagan knew that boys need a purpose for their lives. He knew that they need to know God. Flanagan said, “The fact is that nothing earthly can fill the void in the human heart.” The work of Boys Town has continued, impacting millions of children and families.

In 1918, a year after the Home for Boys opened, a woman abandoned her son Howard Loomis there. Howard wore heavy leg braces because he suffered from polio. Walking was difficult. Some of the older boys began carrying Howard up and down the stairs. One day Edward Flanagan asked Reuben Granger if carrying Howard was hard. Reuben replied, “He ain’t heavy, Father… he’s m’ brother.” This became a motto that summarizes the mission of Boys Town in helping people to care for each other. Photo by Courtney "Coco" Mault / Flickr / CC BY 2.0.


Learn More

This video summarizes the life of Edward Flanagan and the work of Boys Town.

Please Note: The narrator mentions that some boys committed suicide in work houses.

Find other resources at Homeschool History.

Notgrass History

Notgrass History exists to glorify God by producing materials centered in His Word that help parents train their children to honor God with heart, soul, and mind. Our team of homeschool parents and graduates work together to serve homeschooling families across the country and around the world.

https://notgrass.com
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