Bernard Joseph Flanagan

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Styles of
Bernard Joseph Flanagan
Reference style The Most Reverend
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Monsignor
Posthumous style none


Bernard Joseph Flanagan (March 31, 1908—January 28, 1998) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Worcester from 1959 to 1983.

[edit] Biography

Bernard Flanagan was born in Proctor, Vermont, and was ordained to the priesthood, for the Diocese of Burlington, on December 8, 1931.

On September 1, 1953, he was appointed the first Bishop of Norwich, Connecticut, by Pope Pius XII. Flanagan received his episcopal consecration on the following December 3 from Bishop Edward Ryan, with Bishops Vincent Waters and John Cody serving as co-consecrators. He was formally installed five days later, on December 8, in St. Patrick's Cathedral. During his tenure, Flanagan oversaw the establishment of several secondary schools and parishes within his diocese[1].

He was later named the second Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts, on August 8, 1959, and installed as such by Richard Cardinal Cushing on September 24 of that same year. Flanagan attended the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965, and was an ardent supporter of ecumenism. He once declared, "There are many paths that we can and must travel, as we work and pray for the fulfillment of Christ's prayer that 'all be one'. One of these paths is the association of yet separated Christian churches in local and regional councils." In 1973, his diocese joined the Worcester County Ecumenical Council, a predominantly Protestant organization[2]. He also engaged in active dialogue with Archbishop Iakovos of the Greek Orthodox Church in America[3].

Although he was aware of and spoke of Thomas Teczar's "predilection for intimate and rather exclusive companionship with young boys,"[4] Flanagan tried to find a seminary that would agree to enroll him and eventually ordained him in 1967[5]. Teczar was later accused of having sexually abused two teenagers in Ranger, Texas. In 1971, the Bishop unsuccessfully attempted to send Fr. David Holley to the Diocese of Wilmington and later assinged him to pastoral work in New Mexico, where Holley was later accused of having raped eight boys[6]. Flanagan was involved with other cases of sexual abuse by priests, but once said that during his time as a bishop "there were no formalized procedures for dealing with...allegations of sexual misconduct by priests"[7].

In 1974, he revealed that the excommunication of the archconservative Fr. Leonard Feeney, SJ, was secretly lifted two years earlier without any recantation on Feeney's behalf[8]. Feeney's adherents, the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, had a farm within Flanagan's diocese as well.

After twenty-three years of service, the Bishop retired from his post in Worcester on his seventy-fifth birthday, March 31, 1983.

Flanagan later died at the age 89.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Diocese of Norwich. A Brief History of the Diocese of Norwich
  2. ^ Telegram & Gazette. [1] May 22, 2007
  3. ^ St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Catholics attend Orthodox service January 23, 2006
  4. ^ SNAP. Letter from Worcester bishop implored Texas diocese to take accused priest April 21, 2003
  5. ^ SNAP. Priest encountered troubles before his ordination February 22, 2005
  6. ^ SNAP. Letters Show Worcester Diocese Wanted Rev. Holley Out September 20, 2004
  7. ^ Bishop Accountability. Misconduct by Priests Is Alleged May 19, 1996
  8. ^ TIME Magazine. Feeney Forgiven October 14, 1974

[edit] External links

Preceded by
none		 Bishop of Norwich
1953–1959		 Succeeded by
Vincent Joseph Hines
Preceded by
John Joseph Wright		 Bishop of Worcester
1959–1983		 Succeeded by
Timothy Joseph Harrington