Thomas Joseph Flanagan (October 23, 1930 – October 9, 2019) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. He served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of San Antonio in Texas from 1998 to 2005.

Biography

Early life and education

Thomas Flanagan was born on October 23, 1930, in Carbury, County Kildare, in the Republic of Ireland. He was the oldest of eight children born to Patrick and Mary McNamara Flanagan. Flanagan attended St Conleth's National School in Carbury and then

Mungret College Mungret College was a Jesuit apostolic school and a lay secondary school near Limerick, Ireland. Located on the western outskirts of the modern-day suburban town of Raheen, it was operational from 1882 until 1974 when it closed as a school f ...

, a high school near

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

. He then studied at

St. Patrick's College, Thurles Mary Immaculate College, (MIC) Thurles is a third level college of education in Thurles, County Tipperary. Formerly a seminary, the college specialises in humanities courses in accounting, business studies, Irish and religious studies. History M ...

in Ireland. In 1956, on a visit to Ireland, Archbishop Robert E. Lucey recruited Flanagan to serve as a priest in Texas after his ordination.

Priesthood

Flanagan was ordained into the priesthood on June 10, 1956, for the Diocese of San Antonio. After emigrating to the United States,Flanagan served in eight parishes in Texas. He also served as spiritual advisor of the

Saint Vincent de Paul Society The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. Innumerable Catholic parishes have ...

Chairman of the Board The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the archdiocese's

Assumption Seminary Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, Texas, was established in 1915 to train the Catholic priests of the region to carry out their service to the people. History After its establishment in 1874, the Diocese of San Antonio needed to find a system ...

, and diocesan chapter chaplain for its

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

. In 1969, Flanagan was appointed as administrator, then pastor, of St. Agnes Parish in

Edna, Texas Edna is a city in Jackson County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,499 at the 2010 census and 5,987 at the 2020 census. Edna is the county seat. Edna is the gateway to Lake Texana, which covers the site of Texana, Texas. Edna has ...

. Flanagan was awarded a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree from the

Oblate School of Theology The Oblate School of Theology is a Catholic graduate school for theological studies in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1903 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Dr. Scott Woodward has served as its president since October 2020. Cam ...

in San Antonio in 1979. He was named a monsignor by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

on Nov. 29, 1989.

Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio

On January 5, 1998, Flanagan was appointed titular bishop for

Bavagaliana Bavagaliana was a town in the Roman province of Byzacena, now part of Tunisia. It became at some stage the seat of a Christian bishopric. The only diocesan bishop of the see who is known by name was Bonifacius, who lived at the time of Thrasamund, ...

and auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Antonio by Pope John Paul II. Flanagan was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on February 16, 1998 at the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio. His

principal consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

was Archbishop

Patrick Flores Patricio Fernández Flores (July 26, 1929 – January 9, 2017) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served from 1979 to 2004 as archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio in Texas, bishop of the Diocese of El Paso in Texa ...

. with Bishop Edmond Carmody, and Bishop John McCarthy as co-consecrators.

Retirement

Flanagan retired as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio on December 15, 2005, at age 75 and died in San Antonio on October 9, 2019.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio Official Site

Episcopal succession

People from County Kildare 1930 births 2019 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Alumni of St. Patrick's College, Thurles Irish expatriate Catholic bishops {{Ireland-RC-bishop-stub