Bernard Joseph Flanagan

Pope John Paul II accepted Flanagan's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Worcester on March 31, 1983. Bernard Flanagan died on January 28, 1998 in Worcester at age 89.

In 1973, the diocese joined the Worcester County Ecumenical Council, a predominantly Protestant organization. Flanagan also engaged in active dialogue with Archbishop Iakovos of the Greek Orthodox Church in America.

Flanagan was named the second bishop of the Diocese of Worcester on August 8, 1959, by Pope John XXIII. Flanagan was installed by Cardinal Richard Cushing on September 24, 1959. Flanagan attended the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965, and was an ardent supporter of ecumenism. He once declared,

On September 1, 1953, Flanagan was appointed the first bishop of the Diocese of Norwich by Pope Pius XII. Flanagan received his episcopal consecration on December 3, 1953, in Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Burlington, Vermont, from Bishop Edward Ryan, with Bishops Vincent Waters and John Cody serving as co-consecrators. He was formally installed five days later, on December 8, in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Norwich. During his tenure, Flanagan oversaw the establishment of several secondary schools and parishes within his diocese.

Flanagan was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Burlington by Cardinal Francesco Selvaggiani on December 8, 1931. He earned a doctorate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 1943. Flanagan then served as secretary to Bishop Edward Ryan and as chancellor of the diocese.

Bernard Joseph Flanagan (March 31, 1908 – January 28, 1998) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Norwich in Connecticut (1953–1959) and as bishop of the Diocese of Worcester in Massachusetts (1959–1983).