Deacon Omar Gutiérrez ’97

Omar Gutiérrez ’97 came to Franciscan University from Cleveland aspiring to become a theology teacher.

“The theology courses laid a strong foundation for the rest of my life. Professors like Dr. Regis Martin showed me there was a wider world to know than I had realized,” he says. “The Honors Program was transformative, both the philosophy and the example of professors such as Dr. Henry Russell and Dr. Dominic Aquilla. Also, being one of the founders of the AMDG Household was an incredible honor.”

In the following years, Omar would study at the Angelicum in Rome, return to the U.S. to care for sick parents, finish his master’s in theology at the University of Dallas, work for Bishop (later Cardinal) Burke, and marry Miriam (Brown ’94) Gutiérrez and be blessed with five children.

Omar was then hired by the Archdiocese of Omaha and served as assistant to the archbishop. But he felt called to even more.

“One day I was prayed over, and God made it absolutely clear in my heart I was called to serve as a deacon,” he says, and so, with Miriam’s consent, he entered formation for the diaconate.

Ordained in May 2017, Deacon Gutiérrez says, “It has been a great blessing to our marriage and family!”

Another blessing has been his involvement with the cause of canonization for Boys Town founder Servant of God Father Edward J. Flanagan.

Boys Town, founded by Father Flanagan in 1917, still ministers to at-risk youth over a century later. Deacon Gutiérrez was appointed to the board of the Father Flanagan League Society of Devotion as the archbishop’s representative. He then became the notary for the tribunal investigating Father Flanagan’s life, verifying documentation that would go into the 4,600-page report sent to Rome.

“The Church is very thorough in canonization,” he notes. “I sat in every single interrogation of witnesses who knew Father Flanagan directly or knew someone who was affected by him.”

If the tribunal’s work being reviewed in Rome is approved, Father Flanagan will be elevated to “venerable.”

Because of his role in the tribunal, he was featured in Heart of a Servant, a recent documentary on Father Flanagan.

“I share stories of the men we interviewed whose lives had been transformed by this holy priest. I encourage everyone to watch the film to learn more and to pray for the cause of canonization of Father Flanagan!”

Today, Deacon Gutiérrez serves as the executive director of the Evangelium Institute, which provides faith formation and catechetical programs within the archdiocese. n