Father Flanagan

For generations, boys have been abused, abandoned or deprived of the most basic needs. When a boy has been abandoned by society, where do they go? What do they do to survive? A boy needs to eat, have clothing and a safe place to call home and a family that cares whether he lives or dies. Guided by the belief that "there is no such thing as a bad boy", Father Flanagan decided to open a home for lost and wayward boys.

Edward Joseph Flanagan was born July 13, 1886 to John and Nora Flanagan in Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon, Ireland. Flanagan was born into a devout Irish Catholic family and had four brothers and seven sisters. Flanagan was born in a period when one out of every two people born, left to make a permanent home elsewhere (Reilly & Warneke, 2008, p11). Every night before going to bed his brothers and sisters played an instrument and sang (Graves 1972). The Flanagan's were devout Catholics and believed every night prayers were to be said and your family supported.

Flanagan was not born a strong and healthy boy. Within weeks of his birth, he fought to survive convulsions, fevers and respiratory problems. These problems continued to plague him throughout his entire life. Flanagan was fortunate that his family nursed him through every illness and provided the spiritual support that would later influence his decision to become a priest. A religious vocation was considered honorable and at the age of eight, Flanagan decided to dedicate himself to his studies and to learning Latin.

Due to Flanagan's delicate health, he was assigned to be a herdsman. While less strenuous than some of the farm work, Flanagan was still required to walk the fields three times a day to oversee the sheep and ensure their safety. Growing up on a farm, Flanagan learned to be responsible, patient, persistent, and to consider the needs of others.

At the age of fourteen, Flanagan was sent to a boarding school in Sligo (Graves1972). After earning his high school degree in 1904, Flanagan boarded the S.S. Celtic with his sister, Nellie, and headed to New York City. Once he arrived in the United States, Flanagan wrote to the rector of St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York and asked for permission to be admitted. He was informed he needed a college degree before entering the seminary. In October 1904, he enrolled in Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

After his first year at Mount St. Mary's, Flanagan was described by his professors as "a nice, decent Irish boy. Kindly and friendly - talent only fair, but he works well. A nice gentleman, delicate in health and nervous about his condition. He is just fair in talent and visits too much" (Reilly & Warneke, 2008, p25).

In September 1906, Flanagan was admitted to St. Joseph's Seminary in September 1906. The seminary was responsible for educating men who would later serve as priests for the Archdiocese of New York. During the first semester at the seminary, Flanagan struggled with a variety of illnesses. His lungs were never strong and his doctors warned him that he needed rest. During the holiday season of 1906, Flanagan contracted double pneumonia and was bedridden. Although Flanagan's doctor told him he needed complete bed rest, Flanagan continued to study. With the help of his friend he was able to complete the semester.

After the completion of his first semester, Flanagan went to Omaha, Nebraska to visit his brother, Patrick. Patrick was the pastor for the Holy Angles parish. While in Nebraska, the climate seemed to improve Flanagan's health. Upon written request, Flanagan was transferred from the New York Archdiocese to the Omaha Diocese. In 1907, Bishop Richard Scannell decided to send Flanagan to Gregorian University in Rome to continue his studies.

By February 1908, Flanagan was forced to return to Omaha due to his failing health. During 1908 and 1909 Flanagan spent time away from his studies to recover his health and strength. In 1909, Flanagan decided to travel to Austria. While in Austria, he attended the University of Innsbruck. After three years of studying, Flanagan was finally ordained a priest in July 1912.

In September 1912, Bishop Scannel sent Father Flanagan to his first parish, St. Patrick's in O'Neill, Nebraska. While there, he attended to the ill and paid visits to the homes of the parish members. In March, 1913 Father Flanagan was transferred to the St. Patrick's Church located in Omaha, Nebraska. It was during this period that Father Flanagan started working with the homeless. Hundreds of homeless and unemployed people poured into Omaha seeking work with the railroad, stockyards or the meat packing plants. Father Flanagan found the haggard, down on their luck and destitute unemployed people standing on street corners. Father Flanagan would assist as many homeless people as he could. He would find them food, shelter and on occasion employment.

With winter approaching, Father Flanagan knew the unemployed and homeless needed a place to stay. Father Flanagan began working on the idea of a hotel for homeless men. With the help of the St. Vincent De Paul Society, Father Flanagan would manage the Burlington Hotel, and provide a place for the homeless and unemployed men. Father Flanagan was able to persuade hardware stores to donate paint, plaster, window panes and other supplies for the hotel (Graves 1972). The Father Flanagan Workingman's Hotel opened in January, 1916 and housed sixty men and fed one hundred daily. The residents were expected to pay ten cents a day for a bed and five cents for each meal. With Father Flanagan's permission, the unemployed could stay for free. Father Flanagan opened the hotel with the hope of changing men's lives. Father Flanagan would solicit the local companies seeking work for the men at his hotel..

By the spring of 1916, the hotel had a group of men who Father Flanagan remembered as, "Their characters were depraved, they were indolent and few of them cared what the morrow might bring" (Reilly & Warneke, 2008, p37). Father Flanagan spent time speaking to these men and discovered the men had spent years wandering across the country aimlessly. They were a rough lot of men who were out of work most of the time and were very cynical of the world around them. They were simply just surviving. Their main goal in life was to find a hot meal a bed and just existed until the next day by any means necessary. Father Flanagan discovered that most of the men had a similar upbringing that established how they became men and their outlook on life. They were either orphaned in childhood, members of large families with no money or food to care for them or they came from broken families and homes. They were homeless and abandoned young in their life. They had very little education or family life. These men