Fr. Bob Flannery, a native of Lawrence, Kansas, is a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois. He is presently pastor at Saint Francis Xavier Parish in Carbondale, chaplain at the Newman Center at Southern Illinois University, and diocesan ecumenical and interreligious officer for twenty-four years. He is a past president of the Carbondale Interfaith Council, a leader with its Interfaith Dialogues, and a ember of the Metro-East Interfaith Partnership steering committee which collaborates with the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis.

A past-president of the Catholic Association of Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (CADEIO), he serves on their Board as well as on the Faiths in the World and Care for Creation committees. He is past co-chair of the Illinois Conference of Churches and co-authored the booklet entitled “An Ecumenical Study of Baptism: Similarities, Differences, and Practices.” He serves as a Regent for the School of Theology and Seminary at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

A past member of the National Workshop for Christian Unity planning committee, Father Flannery was national chair of the gathering in Oklahoma City, local co-chair in St. Louis, and workshop presenter in Chicago. He was a consultor at the meetings of the Catholic bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and the president of the USCCB named him to the Catholic delegation of Christian Churches Together. Over the years, Father Flannery has participated in numerous ecumenical and interreligious formation opportunities in the United States and around the world.

He has also served as president of the National Association of Diaconate Directors chairing their conference in Teaneck, New Jersey. The summer of 2022, he will be keynote speaker coordinating the presenters for the National Diaconate Institute of Continuing Education conference focusing on ecumenical and interreligious awareness.

Father Flannery holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Saint John’s University, and an M.A. from Saint Louis University. Part of his seminary education included studies at The American College Seminary at The Catholic University of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium where he was later asked to serve as spiritual director. He is past president of their alumni association and has been named reunion coordinator for their next meeting in Belgium. Several past reunion speakers have addressed matters regarding ecumenism and
interreligious relations.