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 An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

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 Carbury (), also formerly spelt "Carbery", is a rural community and a village in north-west County Kildare, Ireland. It is situated on the R402 road (Ireland), R402 Regional road (Ireland), regional road between Enfield, County Meath, Enfield a ...

, 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 fo ...

, a high school near

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

. He then studied at

St. Patrick's College, Thurles Mary Immaculate College, (MIC) St. Patrick's Campus, 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 relig ...

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,

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

of the archdiocese's Assumption Seminary, and diocesan chapter chaplain for its

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

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

degree from the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio in 1979. He was named a monsignor by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

on Nov. 29, 1989.

Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio

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

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

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

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

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 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 Texas f ...

. with Bishop Edmond Carmody, and Bishop John E. 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

Christian clergy 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 Roman Catholic bishops People from Carbury, County Kildare Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre {{Ireland-RC-bishop-stub