From Leabeg to Overlook Farm
By Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin
A hundred years ago, in the Summer of 1917, Fr. Edward Flanagan established his first home for boys in Omaha Nebraska. Within a few years, the home had moved to Overlook Farm, where it became known as Boystown.
It continues today to provide a family environment and a good education for almost 500 boys and girls.
Only when I came to the Diocese of Elphin did I discover that Edward Flanagan (1886-1948) was a native of Leabeg, in the parish of Ballymoe.
In this centenary year of Boystown, as we prepare to host the World Meeting of Families in 2018, it is good for us to be reminded that all the great work that Fr. Flanagan did for young people in Omaha had its beginnings in an ordinary Irish Catholic family.
Faith was on the agenda. Edward tells us himself that it was from his father’s life that he first learned St Benedict's fundamental rule of life: “Pray and work”.
Like the great King David, Edward spent much of his childhood tending sheep. This pastoral existence, together with the regular routine of family prayer, led him to develop the heart of a shepherd.
The personal philosophy which motivated Edward Flanagan in his mission to young people is easy to find in his own writings. He believed in the fundamental goodness of every person.
In a world which is full of suspicion and mistrust, even among colleagues and within families, this willingness to search out and to recognise the good in everybody, is a rather unique characteristic.
Fr Flanagan insisted that “there is no such thing as a born bad boy.” He was convinced that there “are delinquent environments but never delinquent boys.”
People laughed at him then, and I’m sure that some would laugh at him now. But surely faith should allow us to see that every person is created in the image and likeness of God.
Fr. Flanagan understood well that young people have to be made amenable to the standards of civilisation, but he believed that love is the most effective power for change.
The Holy See is currently considering a case proposed by the Archdiocese of Omaha that Fr. Flanagan should be canonised. Should this happen it is not like giving him a knighthood or some other honour.
The Church canonises saints because they have the potential to inspire others by their example of holiness.
It is worth asking if there is something we can learn from Fr. Flanagan which would help us today to live family life more richly or indeed to respond better to the needs of homeless children.
The parish of Ballymoe has developed a Fr. Flanagan memorial garden, just behind the Church. It is a beautiful space, where visitors can explore the life of Edward Flanagan.
At the centre of the garden is a sculpture carved in American cedarwood, inscribed with the words: “From little acorns…..”, reminding us that all great achievements and great people begin with something small.
Italian legacy of St. Columbanus
A few weeks ago, I had a phone call from Don Giorgio Bugada, the parish priest of Riva di Suzzara, just outside Mantova (Mantua, in Lombardy).
I had met him a few years ago at the Eucharistic Congress and he was phoning to tell me that he was in Ireland with a group of parishioners. They were on a pilgrimage to visit the holy places associated with St. Columbanus.
I know from past experience how widely and how well the Feast of St. Columbanus (November 23rd) is celebrated all over the North of Italy. Yet here in Ireland, it passes almost unnoticed.
Columbanus was born in Meath in 543 and received a good education. He became a monk in the monastery of Cluaninis on Lough Erne, moving on to Bangor on the north east coast.
Already aged 50, he set sail from there with 12 monks, arriving in Brittany. Moving eastwards, he evangelised in what is now northern France, not without much opposition.
He founded a monastery at Bobbio in north Italy and it was there he died in 615.
They say a prophet is never accepted in his own country, but maybe we need to explore more deeply the lives of the great Irish missionary saints of earlier generations to see if, perhaps, we may have missed something important.
Siena Programme
I have been convinced for many years that God has a unique plan for each of us, for what the prophet Jeremiah calls “a future full of hope”.
In a world where there are so many voices, how can we help young people to hear the voice of God in their hearts?
The diocese of Elphin has just launched the Siena Programme, which is a series of six gatherings, over the space of a year.
They are designed to help young adults to explore the call of God in their lives, through guided prayer, talks on vocational topics, and spending time together over food.
The programme is named after St. Catherine of Siena who said: “Become who you are meant to be and set the world on fire”.
More information at: elphindiocese.ie/siena-young-adult-programme-20172018/
It continues today to provide a family environment and a good education for almost 500 boys and girls.
Only when I came to the Diocese of Elphin did I discover that Edward Flanagan (1886-1948) was a native of Leabeg, in the parish of Ballymoe.
In this centenary year of Boystown, as we prepare to host the World Meeting of Families in 2018, it is good for us to be reminded that all the great work that Fr. Flanagan did for young people in Omaha had its beginnings in an ordinary Irish Catholic family.
Faith was on the agenda. Edward tells us himself that it was from his father’s life that he first learned St Benedict's fundamental rule of life: “Pray and work”.
Like the great King David, Edward spent much of his childhood tending sheep. This pastoral existence, together with the regular routine of family prayer, led him to develop the heart of a shepherd.
The personal philosophy which motivated Edward Flanagan in his mission to young people is easy to find in his own writings. He believed in the fundamental goodness of every person.
In a world which is full of suspicion and mistrust, even among colleagues and within families, this willingness to search out and to recognise the good in everybody, is a rather unique characteristic.
Fr Flanagan insisted that “there is no such thing as a born bad boy.” He was convinced that there “are delinquent environments but never delinquent boys.”
People laughed at him then, and I’m sure that some would laugh at him now. But surely faith should allow us to see that every person is created in the image and likeness of God.
Fr. Flanagan understood well that young people have to be made amenable to the standards of civilisation, but he believed that love is the most effective power for change.
The Holy See is currently considering a case proposed by the Archdiocese of Omaha that Fr. Flanagan should be canonised. Should this happen it is not like giving him a knighthood or some other honour.
The Church canonises saints because they have the potential to inspire others by their example of holiness.
It is worth asking if there is something we can learn from Fr. Flanagan which would help us today to live family life more richly or indeed to respond better to the needs of homeless children.
The parish of Ballymoe has developed a Fr. Flanagan memorial garden, just behind the Church. It is a beautiful space, where visitors can explore the life of Edward Flanagan.
At the centre of the garden is a sculpture carved in American cedarwood, inscribed with the words: “From little acorns…..”, reminding us that all great achievements and great people begin with something small.
Italian legacy of St. Columbanus
A few weeks ago, I had a phone call from Don Giorgio Bugada, the parish priest of Riva di Suzzara, just outside Mantova (Mantua, in Lombardy).
I had met him a few years ago at the Eucharistic Congress and he was phoning to tell me that he was in Ireland with a group of parishioners. They were on a pilgrimage to visit the holy places associated with St. Columbanus.
I know from past experience how widely and how well the Feast of St. Columbanus (November 23rd) is celebrated all over the North of Italy. Yet here in Ireland, it passes almost unnoticed.
Columbanus was born in Meath in 543 and received a good education. He became a monk in the monastery of Cluaninis on Lough Erne, moving on to Bangor on the north east coast.
Already aged 50, he set sail from there with 12 monks, arriving in Brittany. Moving eastwards, he evangelised in what is now northern France, not without much opposition.
He founded a monastery at Bobbio in north Italy and it was there he died in 615.
They say a prophet is never accepted in his own country, but maybe we need to explore more deeply the lives of the great Irish missionary saints of earlier generations to see if, perhaps, we may have missed something important.
Siena Programme
I have been convinced for many years that God has a unique plan for each of us, for what the prophet Jeremiah calls “a future full of hope”.
In a world where there are so many voices, how can we help young people to hear the voice of God in their hearts?
The diocese of Elphin has just launched the Siena Programme, which is a series of six gatherings, over the space of a year.
They are designed to help young adults to explore the call of God in their lives, through guided prayer, talks on vocational topics, and spending time together over food.
The programme is named after St. Catherine of Siena who said: “Become who you are meant to be and set the world on fire”.
More information at: elphindiocese.ie/siena-young-adult-programme-20172018/
