Gulf Pine Catholic

Volume 42, Issue 10 www.gulfpinecatholic.com January 24, 2025 G ulf P ine C atholic Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Biloxi Father John Kelly remembered for deep devotion to friends, family, parishioners BY TERRY DICKSON BILOXI -- Father John Kelly, a beloved priest who served Mississippi with unwavering faith for nearly 60 years, passed away Dec. 29 at the age of 88. His death marked the end of a remarkable journey that began in the small village of Ballintogher, County Sligo, Ireland, and touched countless lives in the Emerald Isle and the Deep South. A Mass of Christian Burial for Father Kelly was celebrated January 4 at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral, with burial at Biloxi City Cemetery. Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III, who was principal celebrant, called Father Kelly “A man who loved the Church deeply and who loved the priesthood deeply.” “He gave his whole life as a priest to this diocese,” said Bishop Kihneman. “We are blessed to have had him as our priest.” Born June 23, 1936 at Falnashamer House in Ballintogher, County Sligo, Ireland, Father Kelly was the youngest of seven children. He never knew his parents because they both died during his infancy, so he and his siblings were raised by his maternal aunt, Eleanor Jane Meehan. “He loved ‘Auntie’ as we called her,” said Father Kelly’s sister, Phyllis McGrory. “He loved going home to Ireland. He loved Ireland the same way he loved Mississippi and all the people there. He espe- cially loved to go back to Ireland in the summertime and take care of Auntie and take her out in apprecia- tion for all the things she did for us. “Auntie had never been on a plane or out of Ireland, so one time he got her a nice new outfit and said, ‘You’re coming to Lourdes with me’ and he took her to Lourdes, and she was so excited and so thank- ful. So was he. Taking her there was one of the high- lights of his life.” Father Kelly loved to travel. He traveled the world, from Africa to the Holy Land to Rome, where he had the honor of meeting the pope. Phyllis recalls how her brother made time for his family, always taking a week to visit them in New York on his travels between Ireland and Mississippi. Occasionally, she said, he would accompany the fam- ily on vacations. On one occasion, the family went on a cruise from New York to Canada, and Father Kelly made preparations to be able to celebrate small, inti- mate Masses for his family while on the cruise ship. “It [Mass] was only going to be for the family, but they found out on the ship that there was a priest onboard who was celebrating morning Mass and a whole crowd came,” she said. “He had to multiply the loaves to give everyone communion, but he was so good to them and got to know a lot of the people.” Phyllis’s son, Brian McGrory, said it was an excit- ing time when his uncle came for a visit. “Back in the day, it was always a big deal when you had company and, when Father John came, my parents were always in a great mood and us kids got to stay up late. It was always just a super special time,” he said. “We were attending Catholic school at the time, so you earned a certain cache with your classmates if you had a priest in the family.” Brian remembers his uncle would also celebrate Mass in the family home and ask the children to read the scripture readings and assist with the different parts of the Mass. “From an early age, we always felt comfortable with church because of that,” Brian said. “He always remembered to read his breviary,” said Phyllis. “He would get away from the kids and go out to the back of the house and start walk- ing over and back and reading his breviary every single day. He never missed it. Even last year, my daughter, Kelly, and I went down to Mississippi to visit him, and he had a little altar set up in his residence. He celebrated Mass every single day until he was no longer able. His religion and his faith were very important to him and stuck with him for all his years.” Father Kelly pursued his vocation at Summerhill College in Sligo, and St. Patrick’s College Carlow, Ireland, culminating in his ordination on June 6, 1964, at Carlow Cathedral. Father Kelly’s first assignment was as associate pastor of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Biloxi. He also served as an assistant pastor at St. John Parish, Biloxi, while also during that time teaching at Sacred Heart High School, Biloxi; Immaculate Conception Parish in Laurel; and Our Lady of the Gulf Parish, Bay St. Louis. SEE FATHER KELLY, PAGE 26 Father John Kelly, pictured at a family Christening, died on December 29 at the age of 88. Father Kelly, a native of Ireland, served in Mississippi for almost 60 years. Photo/Family of Father Kelly