Rev. T. A. Flynn Biography


	This biography appears on pages 86-87 in "History of Dakota Territory" 
	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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			RT. REV. MGR. T. A. FLYNN.  

	Catholicism has a distinguished representative in the Rt. Rev. 
Mgr. T. A. Flynn, pastor of St. Thomas, church at Madison and vicar 
general of the Sioux Falls diocese, who at the age of eighteen entered 
upon preparation for the priesthood, consecrating his life to that holy 
calling. He was born May 16, 1854, in Milwaukee county, Wisconsin, a 
son of John and Sarah Flynn, who were natives of Ireland, whence in 
early life they came to the new world, settling in the Badger state. 
Wisconsin was then under territorial organization and they became 
pioneers of Milwaukee county, where the father passed away in 1856. The 
mother, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Caveny, resided with her son 
in Madison until her death in 1907. The two daughters of the family 
have passed away and Father Flynn is the younger of the two sons who 
survive.  

	After attending school in Milwaukee he was enrolled as a student 
in the Seminary of St. Francis de Sales when eighteen years of age. He 
also continued his studies for the priesthood in Milwaukee and after 
several years spent in preparation was ordained at Yankton, South 
Dakota, on the 29th of June, 1881, by the late Bishop Marty. His first 
pastoral assignment was at Madison and there has been no change in his 
church connections since that time save that his ecclesiastical power 
has been augmented with his growth in the various lines of church work. 
At first he was in charge of the churches in Lake, Moody and Miner 
counties but with the increase in population his duties became too 
arduous and he was relieved of attendance at all of the churches save 
those in Lake county. St. Thomas church at Madison was built in 1883 
and at that time the parish numbered about forty families, while today 
there are one hundred and fifty. At Badus there are about one hundred 
families but in other parts of the county the Catholic population is 
more scattered. It was due to the efforts of Father Flynn that the 
churches were built at both places. The congregations have grown, the 
work of the church has been thoroughly systematized and promoted and 
two fine church edifices have been erected, while the business affairs 
of the church have been established upon a sound financial basis. This 
is due almost entirely to the efforts of Father Flynn, who has never 
lost courage even in the days when the Catholic families were widely 
scattered and to minister to them entailed great personal hardships. 
His zeal and interest have never diminished and his work has 
continually grown in volume and importance.  

	A contemporary biographer has said: "Father Flynn is an 
interesting conversationalist and a man of wide reading. He possesses a 
singular refinement of pose and manner and that he is popular in 
Madison is attested not only by his parishioners but by hundreds of 
other residents of the city. He has done much for Madison and Lake 
county and that he should be looked upon as the friend and counselor of 
all is no surprise to those who have had the pleasure of his 
acquaintance." Because of the increase in the parish at Madison Father 
Flynn has relinquished all work outside and has given his entire 
attention to St. Thomas, parish since 1898. As a monument to his zeal 
and untiring efforts there stands the great church at Madison, the 
cornerstone of which was laid in 1904. The building was consecrated and 
the first mass said on the 19th of March, 1905. The parish at Madison 
now numbers one hundred and fifty families and Father Flynn is 
preparing to build a parochial school and otherwise to extend the 
church work. He was made vicar general to the diocese in 1900 and was 
created a monseigneur in 1902 by Pope Leo.