About 800 people
witnessed history June 18 as the Archdiocese of Omaha advanced to Rome
the sainthood cause for Father Edward Flanagan, Boys Town founder.
Archbishop George J. Lucas was the main celebrant of a morning Mass at
St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha that marked the closing of the
archdiocesan phase of the canonization effort with a special ceremony to
encase and officially seal four boxes -- 4,600 pages -- of documents
detailing the archdiocese's three-year investigation. The documents will
be shipped to the Congregation for Saints' Causes at the Vatican. If
the findings are accepted, recognizing Father Flanagan's heroic virtues,
he will be declared "venerable." In general, two approved miracles
attributed to the intercession of the candidate are needed for sainthood
-- one for beatification and the second for canonization. The ceremony
was a once-in-a-lifetime event, a first for the archdiocese, to have one
of its members -- an archdiocesan priest -- advance toward possible
beatification and canonization, said Omar Gutierrez, notary for the
archdiocesan tribunal for the cause. Among those concelebrating the Mass
were Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin, Ireland, Father Flanagan's native
diocese, and Father Patrick O'Toole, pastor of the parish in which
Father Flanagan grew up in Ballymoe, Ireland.
Finding St Anthony Among the Lost Items
Saint Anthony of Padua, though often associated with finding lost articles, was primarily known in his lifetime as a powerful and eloquent preacher. Originally a Canon Regular of St. Augustine, he was inspired to join the newly formed Franciscan order after witnessing the martyrdom of the first Franciscan missionaries in Morocco. His conversion to the mendicant life under St. Francis of Assisi transformed him, deepening his commitment to poverty, humility, and evangelical preaching. Gifted with profound theological knowledge and a captivating speaking style, he traveled across Italy and France, drawing immense crowds with his clear and passionate sermons, converting many and combating heresy with his unwavering faith and intellectual rigor. Beyond his public ministry, St. Anthony was a mystic who enjoyed profound spiritual experiences, most notably a vision of the Infant Jesus. This intimate connection with the Christ Child is a hallmark of his iconography, often depicting him c...
