The Republic
December 14, 2011
www.therepublic.com/view/story/a8bc488ba0c64622806ddbe5734bf3a9/KY--Obit-Kelly/
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| In a 2001 photo, Louisville Archbishop Thomas Kelly, left, assisted by Berry Mudd, reads from the prayer book at the dedication service for the new 1200 seat sanctuary at St. Patrick's in Louisville. Thomas C. Kelly, who served as archbishop of Louisville for 25 years until his retirement in 2007, died Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 at Holy Trinity Parish in Louisville. He was 80. (AP Photo/The Courier Journal, David R. Lutman) MANDATORY CREDIT. NO SALES, NO MAGS, NO ARCHIVES |
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Thomas C. Kelly, who led the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville for a quarter of a century and guided it through a clergy abuse scandal, died at his home parish on Wednesday. He was 80.
Kelly led a service and delivered the homily at Holy Trinity in eastern Louisville the previous night, and died in the morning, Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz said.
"From all we can see, he died very peacefully of natural causes," Kurtz said.
Kurtz said he knew Kelly to have "a compassionate ear" and "a real heart for the underprivileged" throughout his career.
"He was actually I think a very wonderful model of someone who is very humble," Kurtz said. Kurtz said after Kelly's retirement, Kelly went on a half-year sabbatical to Washington, D.C.
"And then I have to say this, when he came back he became the hardest-working parish priest around," Kurtz said Wednesday afternoon at the archdiocese office.
Kelly was born in Rochester, N.Y., ordained a priest in 1958 and appointed the third Archbishop of Louisville by Pope John Paul II in December 1981. He began his career there in February 1982 and he was succeeded by Kurtz in 2007.
Kelly spearheaded an education campaign that raised $20 million in 1996 and the restoration of the Cathedral of the Assumption in downtown Louisville, one of the city's oldest public buildings.
PHOTO: In a 2001 photo, Louisville Archbishop Thomas Kelly, left, assisted by Berry Mudd, reads from the prayer book at the dedication service for the new 1200 seat sanctuary at St. Patrick's in Louisville. Thomas C. Kelly, who served as archbishop of Louisville for 25 years until his retirement in 2007, died Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 at Holy Trinity Parish in Louisville. He was 80. (AP Photo/The Courier Journal, David R. Lutman) MANDATORY CREDIT. NO SALES, NO MAGS, NO ARCHIVES
In a 2001 photo, Louisville Archbishop Thomas Kelly, left, assisted by Berry Mudd, reads from the prayer book at the dedication service for the new 1200 seat sanctuary at St. Patrick's in Louisville. Thomas C. Kelly, who served as archbishop of Louisville for 25 years until his retirement in 2007, died Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 at Holy Trinity Parish in Louisville. He was 80. (AP Photo/The Courier Journal, David R. Lutman) MANDATORY CREDIT. NO SALES, NO MAGS, NO ARCHIVES
"Archbishop Kelly was most proud of the renovation of the Cathedral of the Assumption," said Brian Reynolds, the archdiocese's chancellor who worked with Kelly for 30 years. "That facility was not in good physical shape and the faith community had gotten very small. He said it's time to have church present in the urban core."
Reynolds said Kelly had wished to be buried in the cathedral's crypt.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the 159-year-old cathedral's revival "left a lasting legacy for our city."
In 1987, Kelly traveled to Biloxi, Miss., in a successful effort to persuade the Presbyterian Church (USA) to move its headquarters to Louisville. He also helped plan the first two papal visits to the United States.
Scandal struck the archdiocese in 2002, when the first of hundreds of civil lawsuits were filed against the church, alleging sexual abuse by members of its clergy or employees. Most of the abuse occurred before Kelly was brought to Louisville, but court documents from the case showed that Kelly was aware of some of the abusive priests.
The archdiocese paid $25.7 million to more than 240 victims, and criminal charges were brought against a handful of retired priests. The archdiocese reduced staff and raised parish assessments to offset the financial strain caused by the settlement.
Several victim support and advocacy groups called on Kelly to resign during the scandal, but he declined, saying at the time that "it's not good management to walk out in the middle of the situation we're in right now."
Before he arrived in Louisville, Kelly served as chief administrative officer and general secretary of what was then called the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and auxiliary to the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., in 1977. Later that year he was ordained a bishop at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
Reynolds said he expected a funeral for Kelly would be held on Tuesday.
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