Homeward bound: Beloved pastor laid to rest

by Joe Bollig
joe.bollig@theleaven.org

KANSAS CITY, Kan — Once while visiting her brother Father Kenneth W. Kelly, Rita Zeller noticed a picture of a sheepdog on his mantle. Father Kelly never owned a sheepdog.

She asked him about it.

“Well, Rita,” he said, “it’s to remind me that I’m not the shepherd of the flock. Jesus is the shepherd — I’m the sheepdog.”

He’d say the same thing to his parishioners every “Good Shepherd Sunday,” the Fourth Sunday of Easter.

The sheepdog has gone home to the Shepherd.

Father Kelly died on Aug. 21 at the Overland Park Regional Medical Center, just 11 days short of his 71st birthday. His death was due to long-term health issues, aggravated by a fall in late 2023.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Aug. 29 at St. Pius X Parish in Mission. Father Francis Hund was the main celebrant and Father Bill Porter was the homilist. Burial after the Mass was in the priests’ section in Resurrection Cemetery, Lenexa.

During his 45 years of priesthood Father Kelly ministered at 12 parishes — the longest tenure, 19 years, at St. Pius X Parish. Interestingly, he died on the feast of St. Pius X.

Father Kelly retired as pastor due to illness in July 2022 and lived at the parish until he resided briefly in 2023 at Vianney House, the archdiocesan priests’ retirement home in Olathe.

Father Kelly was born on Sept. 1, 1953, in Kansas City, Missouri, the youngest of the four children of Edward L. and Fern (Stosberg) Kelly, both originally from Higginsville, Missouri. The family belonged to St. Agnes Parish in Roeland Park and the children attended the parish school.

The need to be well-disposed spiritually at all times for eternity was impressed on Ken during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, when nuclear war seemed possible.

His third-grade teacher, a Sister, said they might have only 10 seconds to pray an act of contrition. So, she had students stand and pray before the crucifix, “Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee, and I detest all my . . .”

“BOOM!” yelled the Sister.

All the kids screamed.

“He said he always had a hard time fitting under his desk,” said Father Bill Porter, a retired priest in the same priests’ prayer group as Father Kelly.

Msgr. Herman Koch, pastor from 1945 to July 1973, was a big promoter of vocations in the parish and had a big influence on the future Father Kelly.

“Msgr. Koch took him under his wing while he was in grade school,” said Pat Robinson, another of Father Kelly’s sisters. “One day [Ken] told mom and dad he wanted to be a priest. We were all very surprised.”

He entered the newly built Savior of the World Seminary in Bonner Springs after eighth grade and graduated from Savior in 1971. He went on to the University of Saint Mary of the Lake and Mundelein Seminary in Illinois. He was ordained a deacon in May 1978, but then took leave from seminary studies to care for his father, who had a stroke, for the last six months of the latter’s life. “He said, ‘What kind of priest would I be if I didn’t take care of my own father?’” said his sister Pat. “It was a very precious time for both of them.”

Father Kelly graduated with a master’s of divinity from Mundelein on April 26, 1979, and was ordained a priest on June 3, 1979, by Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker at St. Agnes Church. His first assignment was as associate pastor at Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish in Overland Park.

He was a very caring and kind person, said Father Porter.

“When he was first assigned to Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish in Overland Park, his first assignment, he told people ‘If you haven’t been to confession in a while or you’re nervous, please come to me. I am very merciful. I won’t judge you, I want to forgive you,’” said Father Porter.

Father Kelly had a great sense of humor and was very down to earth. What you saw was what you got. 

“There was no pretense,” said Father Porter. “He was never haughty.”

He loved garage sales and collecting little knickknacks and slot machines. He was a whiz at fixing the watches he collected.

Father Kelly loved serving in his native Johnson County, but he also loved serving in the rural communities, where he could indulge his love of fishing, said Father Francis Hund, who was in a priests’ prayer group with him for 40 years.

“Father Ken loved people, loved music, loved ministering to the sick and homebound, loved his faith, and loved serving as a priest and pastor,” said Father Hund. “He loved playing cards and spending time with his friends. He lived the Gospel. He was a gentle shepherd.”

Carla Mills, archdiocesan chief financial officer, is a member of St. Pius X Parish. She remembers Father Kelly as “a simple man and what you saw was what you got.”

“He was super good at mentioning [that parishioners] didn’t have to leave ALL of their money to the church, but just a small morsel. AND to please send it to St. Pius X Parish. It always got a laugh,” said Mills. “Now as chief financial officer of the archdiocese, I find that a bit ironic.”

She remembered Father Kelly was great at weaving church history into his homilies, and “would ask questions during his homilies and expect us to answer.”

Long-serving St. Pius X Parish music director (among other things) Mary Jo Mahoney practically grew up with Father Kelly. He was an excellent musician — which made him a delight to work with, especially when planning weddings and funerals. He was “more of a friend than a boss.”

Father Kelly was especially known for playing the ukulele, which he picked up because he got tired of lugging around a full-size electric guitar with amp. He began playing the guitar when he was 10 years old. George Harrison of the Beatles inspired him.  Father Kelly was also a member of The Priests’ Band and played during get-togethers and retreats.

“He played his ukulele all the time for the kids at Pius X and later St. Pope John Paul II School,” said Mahoney. “He had some students and was a big part of the Kansas City Ukesters. His smaller part of that group was called The Meatballs. He loved playing guitar and ukulele and played at our parish festivals and auctions. And boy, could he sing.

“I can’t tell you how many kids he gave ukuleles to out of his collection or gave lessons to. He gave a prized electric guitar, if not two, to the boys in the Dunker family. It was his prized possession.”