“Every boy must learn how to pray;
how he prays is up to him.”
-Father Edward J. Flanagan, Boys Town founder
Father Flanagan believed that all children deserved a loving home and a chance to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances. He also firmly believed that faith and a strong spiritual foundation are what enable children to heal and find strength to sustain them throughout life. Practicing faith and praying have always been a cornerstone of life and healing at Boys Town, where for more than 100 years, children of all faiths – and those with no faith – have been warmly welcomed.
Boys Town cares deeply about the religious and moral development of children and families and our role in bringing hope and healing to their lives. It was very important to Father Flanagan that children find their faith at Boys Town, whatever that faith might be. Today, Boys Town continues to honor, respect and encourage the practice of all religious faiths and provides abundant opportunities for our youth to grow on their individual faith journeys and maintain strong spiritual lives long after they leave.
While Boys Town is a faith-based organization, it has always been nonsectarian. Youth are not forced to practice any particular religion, but they are supported in their individual religious beliefs and free to express their personal faith. There are many opportunities for youth to practice their faith at Boys Town, including attending our Catholic and Protestant churches on home campus or participating in our Peer Ministry Program. Boys Town also provides opportunities and support for youth of other faiths to be involved in religious and faith-based organizations and activities off-campus.
The Village of Boys Town serves as home to the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, a parish in the Omaha Archdiocese, that serves the Village and our youth, Family-Teachers and staff. Members of the general public can also worship and attend services at the church. Beginning with Father Flanagan, a Catholic priest, Boys Town has worked together with the Omaha Archdiocese to have one of their priests come to serve as both the parish priest and as Boys Town’s spiritual leader and guide. The spiritual leader helps to ensure that the faith and spirituality of all our children continues to thrive.
When Father Flanagan founded Boys Town, he did so with a deep and abiding faith and a passionate concern for America’s hurting, troubled and neglected children. This rock-solid foundation of spirituality and humanity have been inseparably linked throughout Boys Town’s history and continue to guide the life-changing care that children and families receive, and the spiritual surroundings in which they can heal, learn and grow.
