Bishop Edward Kelly MSC
Title:
Bishop
First Name:
Edward
Middle Names:
Francis
Preferred Name:
Surname:
Kelly
Order:
MSC
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Wellington NSW
Country of Birth:
Australia
Date of Ordination:
Place of Ordination:
St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney NSW
Country of Ordination:
Ordination Diocese:
Seminary:
Date of Death:
Place of Death:
Currumbin QLD
Country of Death:
Date of Burial:
Place of Burial:
Toowoomba QLD
Country of Burial:
Find A Grave URL:
Appointments Table
Diocese | Place | Role | Start Day | Start Month | Start Year | End Day | End Month | End Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | North Sydney | Apostolic Delegation | 1948 | 1954 | Toowoomba Prayer Calendar | ||||
| Sydney | Sydney | Auxiliary Bishop | 1969 | 1975 | Toowoomba Prayer Calendar | ||||
| Toowoomba | Toowoomba | Bishop | 1975 | 1992 | Toowoomba Prayer Calendar |
Episcopal Ordinations Table
Diocese | Day | Month | Year | Place | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 25 | Mar | 1969 | St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney NSW | Australia |
Biographical Notes
MSC, North Sydney, Tugun River, Douglas Park, Concord North, Kensington, NSW; Croydon, Vic; Toowoomba, Qld
Prayer Calendar: Deceased Priests who have ministered the Catholic Faith throughout Toowoomba and districts, 1864–2025, Compiled by Annie Carrett, Diocesan Archivist, 2001, Updated by Gabrielle Saide, Diocesan Archivist, 2023:
Most Rev Edward Francis Kelly, MSC, DD, fourth Bishop of Toowoomba, died 2 Sep 1994
Edward Francis Kelly was born in Wellington, NSW, on 22nd March, 1917. He was the ninth of Denis and Elizabeth Kelly's ten children. For education opportunities, the family moved to Sydney, and there Edward attended several schools, completing his final years through the Marist Brothers at Kogarah. He entered the Novitiate of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart at Douglas Park, and in 1938 was sent to Rome to continue his studies at the Gregorian University. He obtained his Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and returned home as World War II was beginning. He completed his studies in Victoria and was ordained on 10th March, 1942, at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. Father Kelly held many positions within the Sydney Archdiocese. From 1948-54 he was on the staff of the Apostolic Delegation at North Sydney. On 25th March, 1969, he was consecrated Bishop at St Mary's Cathedral, and took responsibility for the Western region Parishes of Sydney. That same year he also held the position as auxiliary Bishop to Cardinal Gilroy. With the death of Bishop Brennan, the Toowoomba See became vacant, and Bishop Kelly was appointed successor in 1975. On 11th February, 1976, he was installed in St Patrick's Cathedral, Toowoomba, by Archbishop Francis Rush, of Brisbane. Throughout his Episcopate great support was given to the youth of the Diocese, he established the Concannon College Residential complex at the USQ and the James Byrne Retreat Centre at Highfields. Bishop Kelly was also a member of the Australian Committee for Mass Media, and their representative to Serra International, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Southern Queensland in 1993. Upon his seventy-fifth birthday, Bishop Kelly notified the Holy See of his retirement and moved to Tugun in early 1993. On 16th June, 1994, he celebrated the Silver Jubilee of his Episcopal Ordination in St Patrick's Cathedral, Toowoomba. After a short illness, Bishop Edward Kelly passed away at Currumbin Hospital, on 2nd September, 1994, aged 77 years. He is buried in the Toowoomba Lawn Cemetery.
(Ref. Archives)
Reproduced by permission of Bishop Ken Howell.