at each of the seven Sunday Masses in St. Patrick's Cathedral: "We note with alarm and regret the growing custom of holding parties in business offices on the days immediately preceding Christmas. We caution the faithful against such parties for the following reasons: 1) these parties ignore the sacred character of Advent, which is a time of becoming preparation for the coming of our divine Savior; 2) the days immediately preceding Christmas are invariably days of fast and abstinence...3) at many of these parties there is excessive use of intoxicating drinks. These sinful excesses cause untold harm in various ways to the participants and their families. They corrupt the morals and lower the morale of the community and the nation." He was an ardent proponent of the restoration of religion to the public school system, and was once quoted as having said that "in the face of Communist activities bent on taking God out of government and business, the most important first thing we have to do is put religion back in education." After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Flannelly resigned as Auxiliary Bishop of New York on November 8, 1969. He later died at St. Clare's Hospital, aged 78. References 1894 births 1973 deaths Clergy from New York City Participants in the Second Vatican Council 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Saint Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) alumni Burials at St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan)