Fr Patrick Peter Kelly

Patrick Peter Kelly was born on June 27, 1908 at Mintaro in the mid-north of South Australia. His seminary studies were undertaken at Werribee in Victoria and he was ordained to the priesthood in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne on June 16, 1933.

He returned to Adelaide in December that year and his first appointment as assistant priest was to Port Lincoln, which at that time was in the Archdiocese of Adelaide. As one of the new Archbishop Beovich’s early appointments, Fr Kelly was appointed parish priest of Kingswood in April 1940. He was also named secretary to the Archbishop and later that year in September he was appointed Chancellor. A Catholic Radio and Television Committee was established and Fr Kelly was a member.

The Southern Cross
In July 1945 he was appointed Editor of The Southern Cross, the diocesan weekly newspaper. He held this position until the end of 1959, and his editorship bridged from the days of extensive coverage of all things Irish to the turbulent era of the split among Catholics over the Australian Labour Party.

During those 15 years of editing, Patrick Kelly was known and loved by generations of students at Cabra College where he was their resident chaplain. 

Paddy Kelly, as he was fondly known, had the heart of a bushie. His pockets were always full. A notebook to jot down interesting items from the parish round, a row of pens in the breast pocket, a rock in his side pocket to throw at any belligerent dog. He is remembered for pulling out a half-eaten sausage, brushing off the lint and making a lunch of it. His desk was so covered with papers that he often worked on a sheet of plywood on top. It is true that he was once up to two pieces of plywood.

Fr Kelly was celebrated across Australia by skiers of the Australian Alps as a grand old man of the mountains and skiing pioneer. His feats of endurance were legendary, like being out overnight in the snow country. Always in his waist bag was a candle stub and a box of matches to heat the snow burrow if a blizzard closed in. A generation of Adelaide YCW boys and girls was introduced to skiing on his famous bus trips to the Alps.

He belonged to that Irish tradition that never backed away from any matter of principle, always ready to take a stand. As he grew older his expectations of any assistant priest grew higher.

In March 1957 he took three months long service and travelled overseas, returning home as a Chaplain on a migrant ship.

Goodwood
In 1959 he moved down the road from Cabra Convent and College to become parish priest of Goodwood. There he built the new Holy Cross Parish Church and later the Church of the Resurrection at Wayville. When the new Goodwood Catholic Church was built in 1969, it was the only circular Catholic Church in South Australia. 

The sanctuary was placed centrally, fitting in with the Vatican's new liturgical guidelines of 1964. The church is built of warm-toned clinker bricks with a large lantern above the main altar providing extra light. The well-known religious artist and sculptor Voitre Marek was responsible for the exterior cross and most of the church's internal fittings and artwork.

In early 1970 he took four months leave, again travelling overseas but spending a great deal of time studying sacred art, one of his special interests, which no doubt had some influence on the design of the Goodwood Church.

His special pastoral concern was for large families; at his own expense he purchased and maintained a holiday site at Silver Sands for his parishioners.

His 13 years at Goodwood came to an end in January 1972 and were followed by eight years as parish priest of Kangaroo Island, where, among many other feats, he succeeded in eventually walking the entire periphery of the island.

In January 1980 he was appointed parish priest of Hamley Bridge where he remained for seven years until his retirement in January 1987. A planned road trip around Australia in later years was only ended by the four-wheel drive overturning.

Retirement and death
Fr Kelly retired with the title ‘Pastor Emeritus’ and took up residence at Villa Beovich at Myrtle Bank. In September 1989 with declining health he moved to the Southern Cross Nursing Home at Plympton, and this was where he died on October 13, 1989. His funeral Mass was celebrated in the Cabra College Chapel on October 17 and, at his request, he was buried in the nearby Cabra Cemetery.

May he rest in peace.