The documentary, which airs at 9.30pm on Sunday, 6 July, tells the story of Father Edward Flanagan, the Roscommon-born priest who founded Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska, and dedicated his life to caring for orphaned and disadvantaged children.

“I am delighted to hear that RTÉ One television will broadcast this excellent production focusing on a very important personality in our recent faith history,” Bishop Doran said.  “It recounts, with great attention to historical detail, the challenges and successes, against the odds, of an exemplary Irish-American priest.”

Born in Leabeg, Co Roscommon, in 1886, Father Flanagan became internationally renowned for his conviction that every child deserved love, education and opportunity, regardless of race, religion or social background.  His pioneering work inspired the Academy Award-winning 1938 film Boys Town and challenged the sectarianism and racism of early twentieth-century America.

Bishop Doran said Father Flanagan remains “a role model for clergy, lay people and wider society,” noting his courage in opposing discrimination, including the ideology of the Ku Klux Klan, and his efforts during the Second World War to provide refuge for Japanese-American families.

Earlier this year, Father Flanagan’s cause for sainthood advanced when Pope Leo XIV declared him Venerable, recognising his heroic virtue.

Bishop Doran encouraged people to take Father Flanagan as a model of Christian living and to pray for his beatification.  He also invited anyone who believes they have experienced an unexplained healing through Father Flanagan’s intercession to contact either him or the Father Flanagan League of Devotion.

Prayer cards and medals are available from the Father Flanagan Visitor Centre in Ballymoe. To learn more about the centre, please click HERE