Mommy Life: Father Michael Kelly

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January 13, 2009 11:23 AM

Father Michael Kelly - remembered

It's been a week since Father Kelly's funeral and the fact that it may be a long time before I see him again is still sinking in.

Tripp and I were very blessed to know him as well as we did. He was the pastor and priest who received me back into the Catholic faith, a change in my life which did not come without cost - but which blessed me with more than was taken away. In an effort to find the truth for himself, Tripp embarked on a study of the Early Church Fathers, then signed on for RCIA classes. Father Kelly received Tripp into the church at the Easter Vigil, and Maddy at a small Friday Mass in May.

Father Kelly was so intelligent and knowledgeable - and yet full of grace and patience. He was humble and gracious, with a true servant's heart - as evidenced by his last act on earth. I always thought at heart he was somewhat shy, but he was always there for anyone who needed him. One of the blessings of Tripp's prolonged knee surgery recovery was that he got to spend a lot of time with Father Kely when he brought communion, books, encouragement, prayer, and fellowship.

Blessed are all of us who have such precious memories! Father Kelly's life was cut so much shorter than we ever could have imagined. But his spiritual legacy remains. As Bishop Loverde reminded us at his funeral, Father Kelly's last act on earth was clearing a tree so that others could continue their journey; so as a priest, Father Kelly answered his calling to clear obstacles in the way of our path to God.

Here is a round-up of news articles of our beloved pastor:

Providing a Safe Passage for Those to Follow
Purcellville Gazette
Throngs of parishioners, friends, pastors from other churches and just those who wanted to honor a beloved man assembled at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Purcellville Tuesday, January 6th to attend the 11 AM Funeral Mass for Father Michael C. Kelly. January 6th is also the observance of the Epiphany which commemorates the visit by the Magi, or wise men, to the newborn Jesus.

People had to park in the neighboring subdivisions attendance was so great. The church was spilling over to the outside but people moved closer together to allow everyone in. Small children craned their necks to see the altar and people kindly guided them so they could see.

Father Kelly died suddenly Dec. 31 after a tree fell on him on Harmony Church Road. Father Kelly was on his way to a funeral for another priest, Father George Griffin of St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, when he stopped along Harmony Church Road. He was helping another driver move a tree that had fallen into the road when a second tree fell and killed him. His Excellency Most Reverend Paul S. Loverde, Bishop of Arlington, said that true to his character, Father Kelly was not removing the tree for himself but to provide safe passage for others.

Father Kelly was born December 15, 1955, in Newport Beach, Calif., one of three sons in a military family. They settled in Alexandria, where Kelly graduated from Mount Vernon High School. He served in the US Naval Reserve and attended Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.

Kelly served in multiple churches throughout Virginia, including Falls Church, Annandale and Winchester, before coming to St. Francis de Sales in Purcellville where he had served as administrator of St. Francis de Sales from June 2006 to June 2008 when he was named pastor.

Many residents would have recognized Father Kelly riding his bicycle equipped with a to-scale model airplane apparatus through town or on the bike trail. He would wave to children as buses moved them to and from school. The Funeral Liturgy program contained a picture of Father on his bike with a banner on which was written, "Semper Gumby". He was also an avid outdoorsman and had a strong interest in civil war reenacting.

Again, a picture of Kelly in reenactment clothing was included and a poem "The Skeleton" by G.K. Chesterton accompanied it.

In a letter to the resident priests and parishioners of St. Francis de Sales Parish, Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde called Father Kelly "a faithful and zealous priest not only among you but in all his previous assignments as well."

"I join you in the prayer, asking Our Blessed Lord to give him now the blessed reward of his priestly ministry among us these past thirteen years. Your own patron Saint Francis de Sales so beautifully reminds us: 'Life is the time to seek God. Death is the time to find Him. Eternity is the time to possess Him,'" the bishop wrote.

As the large procession filed out singing "Battle Hymn of the Republic", people reached out to touch the casket as if to connect one last time to the priest they adored. Children and adults wept openly and unashamedly. Members of the Knights of Columbus gathered around the casket in the vestibule and sang a moving rendition of "Ave Maria".

Those who knew him well left the church mourning his passage; those who were not so personally involved with him were saddened by not having known him better.

The funeral procession continued to Fairfax Memorial Park.

Father Kelly is survived by his father John Kelly; his second mother Margaret; brothers Matthew Kelly, a councilman from Fredericksburg, Col. Daniel Kelly, USMC currently stationed at Quantico, and David Bunch, President/CEO of FedChoice Federal Credit Union in Lanham, MD. In addition, Father Kelly was a devoted uncle to eight nieces and nephews.

Messages of condolence may be sent to Fr. Kelly's family c/o St. Francis de Sales Parish. There is a basket in the narthex for cards. Rather than flowers, the Rev. Michael Kelly's obituary asks for donations to the Wounded Warrior Project, which aims to raise awareness of the needs of severely injured members of the military and to provide programs and services to help them.

Read the entire article here (you can also download and print your won copy of the Purcellville Gazette - or look for it free in racks around town).

From the Washington Post:

Grief for 'the Flying Priest'
Pastor Killed in Storm Exemplified Message of Sacrifice, Congregants Say
By Jonathan Mummolo
Saturday, January 3, 2009

Michael C. Kelly, the pastor at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Purcellville, had a number of techniques for bringing people into the flock.

There was his disarming sense of humor, reflected in the signs he put on the doors of the confessional booths, which read, "Your Name Here." There was his knack for attracting attention, such as when he'd ride his homemade airplane-style bicycles through town, earning him the nickname "the flying priest." And there were his everyday actions, parishioners said, which exemplified the message of giving and self-sacrifice ubiquitous in his sermons.

Kelly, 53, died this week doing one final good deed. While driving to the funeral of another priest, Kelly pulled over in the Hamilton area about 9 a.m. Wednesday during a fierce wind storm to remove a fallen tree from the road so no one would get hurt. That was when he was struck and killed by another falling tree, authorities said.

To the mournful congregation of more than 1,700 families, Kelly's act was the exclamation point on the end of years of devoted service.

"The angels swooped down and carried him off," said a damp-eyed parishioner, Ruth Showalter, outside the Loudoun County church yesterday. "That was him. He got out there for people."

Kelly's father, John F.J. Kelly, put it another way.

"The good Lord needed an outstanding priest," said Kelly, 80, of Foneswood, Va. "He needed him now."

Friends said Kelly's compassion, diverse biography and quirky talents helped him win the hearts of congregants and non-Catholics alike in Purcellville, though he had been at St. Francis for less than three years.

Read rest of story here.

Comments

What a wonderful note about him. I am currently in RCIA and it was ALWAYS exciting to go to his classes. He will be greatly missed but I feel blessed by the time I did get to know him. He told me to "Trust in God" all the time and I will always be reminded of him when I think that.

Posted by: Dana | January 14, 2009 11:20 AM

Thank you Barbara. What a wonderful tribute to our beloved pastor. It makes me reflect on my last words with him when he advised, "stay close to God". I will Father, I will...

Nor will I ever enter our church again without feeling your spirit within me, pushing me to do better, to be better....

As for you, lift your eyes beyond the hills and see the dawn, there is beautiful mercy in the arms of the Holy One. Go in peace, God be with you. Go in peace, be at rest with the saints and the angels. Now you are free...See the Father is waiting with a robe of white, purest white. Go and feast at His table with the bread of life. Rejoice and sing, for you are home. Home at last and forever, in the arms of the Holy One.Go in peace, be at rest... (Sarah Hart)

Posted by: Dana Friedl | January 14, 2009 7:16 PM

Barbara, it sounds like Father Kelly was a wonderful man and a godly shepherd. What a great mentor and friend he must have been. I hope the fruit of his ministry flourishes, even in his absence.

Posted by: Elizabeth M Thompson | January 15, 2009 3:45 PM

Father Kelly was the priest at my wedding. Although I did not know him for very long he had a big impact on my life. A great man, well spoken and truly loved. He will forever live in my memories as he is the only Father I have ever had.

Posted by: nathan | August 8, 2010 7:51 PM