Bernard Joseph Flanagan

Bernard Joseph Flanagan (March 31, 1908 – January 28, 1998) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Norwich (1953–59) and Bishop of Worcester (1959–83).

Bernard Flanagan was born in Proctor, Vermont, to John B. and Alice (née McGarry) Flanagan. He studied at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 8, 1931. He earned a doctorate in canon law from The Catholic University of America in 1943, and served as secretary to Bishop Edward Francis Ryan and chancellor of the Diocese of Burlington.

On September 1, 1953, he was appointed the first Bishop of Norwich, Connecticut, by Pope Pius XII. Flanagan received his episcopal consecration on the following December 3 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. During his tenure, Flanagan oversaw the establishment of several secondary schools and parishes within his diocese.