Pope Leo XIV on Monday advanced the sainthood cause of Boys Town founder Father Edward J. Flanagan, declaring the pioneering Irish-born priest "venerable," according to EWTN News.
Flanagan, known for his work with homeless and disadvantaged children in the early 20th century, is remembered for saying there was "no such thing as a bad boy, only bad environment, bad modeling, and bad teaching."
His life and work later drew national attention with the 1938 film "Boys Town," which earned Spencer Tracy an Academy Award for his portrayal of the priest.
Based in Omaha, Nebraska, Flanagan's efforts drew international recognition. In 1947, he was invited to evaluate child welfare conditions in Japan and Korea, followed by a similar mission in Austria and Germany in 1948.
While in Germany, Flanagan suffered a heart attack and died on May 15, 1948. He is buried at Dowd Memorial Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in Boys Town, Nebraska.
The Pope formally recognized the "heroic virtue" of Flanagan on Monday, advancing his cause for sainthood alongside four others.
He also approved the beatification of Italian Cardinal Ludovico Altieri, who died while ministering to cholera victims during an 1867 epidemic.
Altieri was found to have made an "offering of life," one of the paths to sainthood established by Pope Francis in 2017.
Also advancing Monday were the causes of French priest Henri Caffarel (1903-1996), founder of Les Equipes Notre-Dame; Polish visionary Sister Barbara Stanislawa Samulowska, who spent five decades as a missionary in Guatemala (1865-1950); Spanish Sister Maria Dolores Romero Algarin, known as Mother Belen (1916-1977); and Italian layman Giuseppe Castagnetti (1909-1965), a husband and father of 12.
In the Roman Catholic Church, the path to sainthood typically begins with a candidate being declared "venerable" after the Vatican recognizes a life of heroic virtue, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Beatification — the next step — usually requires verification of a miracle attributed to the individual's intercession, unless the person is recognized as having made an "offering of life" or died as a martyr.
Canonization, the final step, formally declares the person a saint and generally requires a second confirmed miracle.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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