the journal of literature and the arts at saint david ’ s school
were killed in 1920 by special forces called the Black and Tans . Soon after he attended the funerals , O ’ Flaherty was arrested since two of his friends were Irish nationalists ( Seah ). British soldiers treated Irishmen horribly at the time ; however , he was lucky that the principal of the seminary he attended got wind of his arrest and worked to free O ’ Flaherty and his friends . After almost a day , the principal released them before they were tortured . This experience only strengthened O ’ Flaherty ’ s resolve to be a priest so he could make the world a better place . He was ordained in 1925 ( McCarthy ).
Very dedicated to helping others , O ’ Flaherty always thought of others before himself . Once World War II started in 1940 , O ’ Flaherty was merely an observer . Since he knew that both sides would be broadcasting propaganda , he did not know whom to believe . However , he refused to turn a blind eye to sub-human acts . Once , he saw the Germans starting to round up Jews and “ treat [ ing ] them like beasts , making old men and respectable women get down on their knees and scrub the roads ” ( Fleming 1 ). After witnessing these dehumanizing actions , O ’ Flaherty decided he would be an agent for the good and help these people . He recruited a network of priests , former P . O . W . s , and ordinary people into his organization . He hid Jews , anti-fascists , and prisoners of war everywhere , in flats , farms , monasteries , convents , and the Vatican . Even after the Schutzstaffel ( also known as the SS ) told O ’ Flaherty that he would be arrested if he left Vatican property , he continued to venture out and help everyone who asked . Also , he often took care of tricky situations by himself . He never turned away anyone asking for help unless he had complete proof that someone was a Nazi spy ( Fleming 105-106 ). When his adviser told him that he was taking too many risks , he would not listen because he was committed to “ defend [ ing ] the oppressed ,”
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