Boys of the Past, A Man of the Future

 “Boys of the Past, A Man of the Future”

A Review of Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story by Olszyk

Distribution Service: Fathom Events 

MPAA Rating, Not rated at the time of this review

USCCB Rating, Not rated at the time of this review

Reel Rating, Three Reels            

 Despite common anti-Catholic sentiment in American society, the early 20th century was a cinematic goldmine of church representation including Going My Way, The Song of Bernadette, and The Bells of St. Mary’s. Chief among these classics was Boys Town, which earned Spencer Tracy an Oscar for Best Actor portraying Fr. Edward Flanagan. Heart of a Servant is a new documentary about the real figure behind the screen and his lifelong struggle to help marginalized young men in the United States. In 2012, the cause for his canonization was opened and interest in his story has been renewed. Hopefully, this will not only help more Catholics learn of his ministry but inspire others to seek heroic holiness in their own lives. 

Flanagan was born in Ireland to a good, traditional Catholic family but sickly from a young age. As such, he was originally destined for an academic career in the church hierarchy but while studying the United States was disturbed by homeless boys who lived in poverty and crime alone on the street. He resolved to build not simply an orphanage but a mini town where abandoned boys could learn not just their ABCs but how to be productive citizens. He started small, literally building the first structure with his own hands. He lived on campus, ate the same meals as the boys in the cafeteria, and never took anything for himself. In the mid-30s, he captured the attention of Hollywood with the film Boys Town, which he used to expand his charity internationally. He died suddenly in 1948 while abroad, but his organization continues to the present.

The film spends a significant amount of time emphasizing the multicultural and racially diverse nature of Flanagan’s work. He accepted boys of any background independent of religion, race, culture, nationality, ethnicity, or even criminality. This was revolutionary at the time when most of American society was largely segregated along multiple lines either by law or passively. Black children played and learned freely with their white compatriots. Jewish boys prayed in Hebrew next to Methodist kids. This does not mean that Flanagan watered down his Catholicism. Quite the opposite, he took seriously St. Paul’s command that “all men are equal in Christ.” Unfortunately, the documentary briefly wanders into the modern language of Critical Race Theory to retroactively expound his progressive values. Yet, Flanagan wasn’t an activist seeking to pass legislation; he was a kind father who was trying to fulfill the needs of the children God placed in his care. 

While this aspect of his ministry was certainly noteworthy, the documentary seems to gloss over some of the more sordid details which the fictionalized Tracy production surprisingly addressed. With hundreds of young men in the town, many who came from terrible backgrounds, there was bound to be trouble. What happened if two boys got into a fight? What if someone stole? What about drug use, bullying, or sexual immorality? Flanagan famously said, “there is no such thing as a bad boy,” but how did he practically live this philosophy on a day-to-day basis with all the struggles that comes from this type of ministry? The film is oddly silent on this issue, although perhaps more information will come out as his cause progresses. 

There is an active competition currently underway for the first native-born American male saint. Fulton Sheen used to be considered a shoo-in for the award, but unfortunately his cause his been sidelined. Thus, Flanagan now enters a wife open field that includes Michael McGivney, Solanus Casey, and Augustus Tolton among others. It is these soldiers of Christ, not the sexist or wimpy boys propped up by social media, that should inspire the next generation of young men, who are here at all partly due to Flanagan’s heroic efforts.

This article first appeared in Catholic World Report on September 27th, 2024.