Michael Kelly (13 February 1850 – 8 March 1940) was an Irish-born
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
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, coordinates ...
, Ireland, to James Kelly, a master mariner, and Mary ''née'' Grant, Kelly was educated at Christian Brothers’,
Enniscorthy
Enniscorthy () is the second-largest town in County Wexford, Ireland. At the 2016 census, the population of the town and environs was 11,381. The town is located on the picturesque River Slaney and in close proximity to the Blackstairs Mounta ...
and the Classical Academy,
New Ross
New Ross (, formerly ) is a town in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. It is located on the River Barrow, near the border with County Kilkenny, and is around northeast of Waterford. In 2016 it had a population of 8,040 people, making it t ...
.
Kelly received his seminary formation at
St Peter's College, Wexford
St Peter's College, Wexford is an Irish secondary school and former seminary located in Summerhill, overlooking Wexford town. It is a single-sex school for male pupils. Currently, the school's population is over 770.
History
Founded in 1811 by ...
. and the Irish College in Rome, before being ordained at Enniscorthy on 1 November 1872 by Bishop Thomas Furlong.
Kelly served on the staff of the House of Missions, Wexford and was made vice-rector of the Irish College in Rome in 1891. In 1894 he become rector of the college and as such an important figure in Anglophone Catholicism.
Episcopal ministry
Elected
Archbishop of Achrida
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ohrid (also Archdiocese of Achrida, Archdiocese of Ochrida or Archdiocese of Acrida, Latin: ') was a Latin Catholic archdiocese, suppressed in the 1700s,Francesco Satolli.
Kelly eventually succeeded to the See of Sydney on 16 August 1911 on the death of
Cardinal Moran
Patrick Francis Cardinal Moran (16 September 183016 August 1911) was the third Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney and the first cardinal appointed from Australia.
Early life
Moran was born at Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, Ireland, on 16 Sept ...
.
During the 1918
Spanish flu
The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case wa ...
pandemic, Kelly publicly criticised the federal government's "impious refusal" to allow Catholic priests to minister to dying victims, in particular nurse Annie Egan who died without receiving the
last rites
The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortal ...
. He sent a telegram of protest to acting prime minister William Watt, and then when no response was received attempted to enter the North Head Quarantine Station, where he was told he would be arrested if he attempted to enter.
As Kelly continued his crusade for temperance and he undertook extensive fund-raising for Catholic schools. It is estimated that £12,000,000 was spent on scholastic and church properties from the time of Kelly's arrival in Sydney until his death. St Mary's Cathedral was completed in 1928 and statues of Kelly and Moran stand in the main portal. He took a less belligerent attitude to sectarian tensions and political questions such as Irish affairs than
Archbishop Mannix
Daniel Patrick Mannix (4 March 1864 – 6 November 1963) was an Irish-born Catholic bishop. Mannix was the Archbishop of Melbourne for 46 years and one of the most influential public figures in 20th-century Australia.
Early years and Maynoo ...
of Melbourne.P. O'Farrell, Archbishop Kelly and the Irish question, ''Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society'', 4 (3) (1974), 1–19.
In recognition of his extensive service to the church, Kelly was named
Assistant to the papal throne
The Bishops-Assistant at the Pontifical Throne were ecclesiastical titles in the Roman Catholic Church. It designated prelates belonging to the Papal Chapel, who stood near the throne of the Pope at solemn functions. They ranked immediately below ...
, associated with the title ''Roman count'', on 25 June 1926. Kelly died in Sydney aged 90, still of sound mind.