John Kelly (bishop)

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John Anthony Kelly (27 October 1915 – 24 July 1987) was an Australian bishop of the Catholic Church. He served as Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne for 13 years.

Early life

Kelly was born in South Yarra, the son of John and Teresa Kelly. He received his early education at the Convent of Our Lady of Mercy, Heidelberg, before moving to Cathedral College, East Melbourne (also known as Christian Brothers College) and then Good Samaritan Convent, Canberra. He studied for a brief time at Rockwell College in Ireland before concluding his studies at St Kevin's College, Toorak. He began his studies for priesthood at Corpus Christi College, Melbourne.[1]

Priesthood

Kelly was ordained on 28 July 1940 at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne by Archbishop Daniel Mannix along with 13 other priests.[2]

Episcopate

On 16 November 1972, Kelly was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne by Pope Paul VI along with Eric Gerard Perkins and Thomas Francis Little.[3] The trio were consecrated as bishops on 21 February 1973 at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne by Archbishop James Robert Knox during the International Eucharistic Congress in Melbourne.[4]

Death

Kelly resigned as Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne on 19 August 1986. He died less than a year later on 24 July 1987 at the age of 71.[5]

References

  1. 1."Seventeen Priests to be Ordained on Sunday". Advocate. 25 July 1940. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  2. 2."Seventeen Priests Ordained on Sunday". Advocate. 1 August 1940. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  3. 3."New Bishops". The Canberra Times. 6 December 1972. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  4. 4."Vale Archbishop Frank Little DD KBE". cam.org.au. Archdiocese of Melbourne. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  5. 5."Bishop John Anthony Kelly". catholic-hierachy.org. Catholic Hierachy. Retrieved 5 May 2026.