His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Edward Denis Kelly
Bishop of Grand Rapids
titular bishop of Cestrus
SeeDiocese of Grand Rapids
In officeJanuary 26, 1919
March 26, 1926
PredecessorMichael Gallagher
SuccessorJoseph G. Pinten
Other post(s)Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit
1911 - 1911
Orders
OrdinationJune 16, 1886
by Caspar Borgess
ConsecrationJanuary 26, 1910
by James Gibbons
Personal details
Born(1860-12-30)December 30, 1860
Hartford, Michigan, US
DiedMarch 26, 1926(1926-03-26) (aged 65)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, US
DenominationRoman Catholic
EducationAssumption College
St. Charles College

Edward Denis (also Dionysius[1]) Kelly (December 30, 1860 – March 26, 1926) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Detroit in Michigan from 1911 to 1919, and then as the third bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids in Michigan from 1919 until his death in 1926.

Biography

Early life

Edward Kelly was born on December 30, 1860, in Hartford, Michigan, to Thomas and Mary (née Hannon) Kelly. He attended Assumption College in Windsor, Ontario, Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, and St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland. Kelly finished his formation for the priesthood at St. Joseph's Seminary in Troy, New York.[2] [3]

Priesthood

Kelly was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Detroit in Windsor on June 16, 1886 by Bishop Caspar Borgess.[4] After his ordination, Kelly was appointed as assistant pastor at St. Philip's Parish in Battle Creek, Michigan. In late 1887, he also joined the faculty of St. Francis Seminary in Monroe, Michigan; he was named as vice rector two years later. Also in 1889, he was moved to pastoral positions first at St. John's Parish in Monroe and then to St. Joseph's Parish in Dexter, Michigan.[2]

Kelly was named as an examiner for the diocese in 1891, a post he would hold until 1919. He was also named pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Parish in Ann Arbor, Michigan. While there, he constructed a larger church between 1896 and 1899, using the architectural firm Spier & Rohns.[5]

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

On December 9, 1910, Pope Pius X appointed Kelly as the first auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Detroit and as titular bishop of Cestrus. [2][3]He received his episcopal consecration on January 26 1910, from Cardinal James Gibbons, with Bishops Henry Richter and Camillus Maes serving as co-consecrators. [4]

Kelly was a major contributor to the founding of Theta Phi Alpha, a national women's sorority at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He also supported the Foley Guild, the Catholic student association at the university. He allowed the guild to have social events at St. Thomas Parish in Ann Arbor, although he banned tango dancing at parties there in 1914.[6]

During World War I, Kelly served on the Michigan Library War Council, an organization that provided reading material to American soldiers from that state.[7] In 1918, he was appointed superintendent of the diocesan schools. In 1920, Kelly and the other bishops in Michigan defeated a proposed amendment by nativist groups to the Michigan State Constitution that would have required all children between ages five and 16 to attend public schools.[6][8]

Bishop of Grand Rapids

On January 16, 1919, Pope Benedict XV named Kelly as the third bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids; he was installed on May 20, 1919.[4]

Edward Kelly died on March 26, 1926, at the episcopal residence in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from a hemorrhage or embolism. He was age 65.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ Eckert, Kathryn Bishop (1993). Buildings of Michigan. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-19-509379-7.
  2. ^ a b c d "KELLY, Edward Denis". Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids. Archived from the original on June 20, 2006. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  3. ^ a b c "BISHOP E. D. KELLY DEAD AT GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.; Snccumbs to Embolism at Age of 65 -- E'n're Church Service Was in His Home State". The New York Times. 1926-03-27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  4. ^ a b c "Bishop Edward Denis Kelly". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  5. ^ St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church (Ann Arbor, Michigan), p. 142
  6. ^ a b Tentler, Leslie Woodcock (2018-02-05). Seasons of Grace: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-4399-9.
  7. ^ Bulletin of the Grand Rapids Public Library. issued from the Ryerson Public Library Building. 1917.
  8. ^ Abrams, Paula (2009-12-14). Cross Purposes: Pierce v. Society of Sisters and the Struggle over Compulsory Public Education. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-02139-0.
Catholic Church titles Preceded byMichael Gallagher Bishop of Grand Rapids 1919–1926 Succeeded byJoseph G. Pinten
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