RTÉ to screen new documentary on Fr. Edward Flanagan tonight

RTÉ One television will broadcast a feature-length documentary ‘Heart of a Servant – The Father Flanagan Story’ tonight, Monday, July 6th, at 9.30 pm. 

This documentary tells the remarkable story of Fr. Edward Flanagan, a native of Ballymoe, whose vision, determination and unwavering compassion transformed the lives of countless young people. It traces his extraordinary journey from rural Ireland to international recognition as the founder of Boys Town, exploring the many challenges he encountered and the obstacles he overcame in his mission to provide hope and opportunity for vulnerable children. Against considerable odds, Fr. Flanagan achieved lasting success through his belief in the goodness and potential of every child. The documentary also celebrates the enduring legacy of his inspirational and pioneering work, which continues to influence childcare policies around the world.

Welcoming the broadcast Bishop Kevin Doran, within whose diocese Fr. Flanagan was born on July 13th, 1886 in Leabeg, County Roscommon, said that the documentary recounts, with great attention to the historical detail, the challenges and successes, against the odds, of an exemplary Irish-American priest.

“Today Fr. Flanagan serves as a role model for clergy, lay people and for wider society in terms of the Gospel-inspired priority that he gave to child welfare. Nurtured by his faith, he worked for the well-being of young people, and resisted the prevailing societal pressures of sectarianism and racism. In the polarising early twentieth-century Mid-Western United States, that was no mean feat. Fr. Flanagan was never afraid to speak truth to power, and this bravery imbued the essence of his gentle, conscientious and hardworking ministry,” said Bishop Doran.

“Fr. Flanagan’s work formed the basis of the 1938 Academy Award winning movie Boys Town retelling the story of the community that he established to protect and house orphaned and impoverished children in Omaha, Nebraska, during and after World War 1. In a time of crisis for families, when many children were living rough on the streets and getting in trouble with the law, and against the backdrop of social unrest, Fr. Flanagan founded Boys Town, which flourished to become a place where young people could feel at home, and have all the advantages of a solid education and formation for life. Fr. Flanagan’s initiative to care for children irrespective of their faith, colour or ethnic background was counter-cultural for the time, and proved to be hugely controversial,” remarked Bishop Doran.

Bishop Doran  went on to say: “2026 has been an exciting year for Fr. Flanagan’s faith legacy. On March 23rd last, he was one of six people declared ‘Venerable’ by Pope Leo XIV, thus recognising holy lives and heroic virtue, and making them potential candidates for sainthood. I invite people of faith, and especially those who work with young people, to take Fr. Flanagan as a model of Christian living and to pray for his Beatification. The next stage of the process is when he would be declared ‘Blessed’. This would normally follow the recognition of a miracle, attributed to the intercession of Fr. Flanagan. I encourage people to pray through the intercession of Fr. Flanagan for healing for family members and friends who are sick, and to make contact with me, or with the Fr. Flanagan League of Devotion, if you believe that an unexplained healing has taken place. Fr. Flanagan prayer cards and medals are available from the Memorial Centre in Ballymoe.”