Francis Martin Kelly
{{Short description|American prelate}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type =
| honorific_prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend
| name = Francis Martin Kelly
| honorific_suffix =
| title = Bishop of Winona
Titular Bishop of Mylasa
| image =
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| church = Roman Catholic Church
| archdiocese =
| diocese =
| see = Diocese of Winona
| elected =
| term =
| predecessor = Patrick Richard Heffron
| successor = Edward Aloysius Fitzgerald
| other_post = Titular Bishop of Mylasa
| ordination = November 1, 1912
| ordained_by = Édouard-Charles Fabre
| consecration = June 9, 1926
| consecrated_by = Patrick Richard Heffron
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1886|11|15}}
| birth_place = Houston, Minnesota, US
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1950|06|24|1886|11|15}}
| death_place = Rochester, Minnesota, US
| buried =
| nationality =
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| parents =
| education = the Catholic University of America
Propaganda University
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}}Francis Martin Kelly (November 15, 1886 – June 24, 1950) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Winona in Minnesota from 1928 to 1949.
Early life
Francis Kelly was born in Houston, Minnesota, to James and Ellen Kelly. His father sat in the Minnesota Legislature.[https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?ID=12123 Minnesota Legislators: Past & Present-James C. Kelly] After attending the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, he earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. (1909) and a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from the Propaganda University in Rome (1913).
Priesthood
Kelly was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Winona by Archbishop Édouard-Charles Fabre in Montreal on November 1, 1912. He became secretary to Bishop Patrick Richard Heffron in 1914, and taught philosophy at St. Mary's College and St. Teresa's College between 1915 and 1926. He was chancellor of the diocese (1919–26) and vice-rector of St. Mary's College (1918–26).
Auxiliary Bishop and Bishop of Winona
On March 22, 1926, Kelly was appointed auxiliary bishop of Winona and Titular Bishop of Mylasa by Pope Pius XI. He was consecrated on June 9, 1926. On February 10, 1928, Pius XI appointed Kelly as bishop of the diocese.
In 1941, Kelly suffered a stroke, and had to re-learn how to celebrate Mass. In 1942, he suffered a second stroke, which led him to spend the rest of his life, including his final seven years as bishop, at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.{{cite news |last1=Smithley |first1=Emily |title=The Portraits |url=https://issuu.com/dioceseofwinona/docs/the_courier_-_may_2025/5 |access-date=5 May 2025 |work=The Courier |publisher=Diocese of Winona–Rochester |date=1 May 2025 |page=5 |language=en}}
He retired on October 17, 1949.{{Catholic-hierarchy|bishop|bkellyf|Bishop Francis Martin Kelly|21 January 2015}} Francis Kelly died in Rochester, Minnesota, on June 24, 1950.
References
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{{s-bef|before=Patrick Richard Heffron}}
{{s-ttl|title=Bishop of Winona|years=1928–1949}}
{{s-aft|after=Edward Aloysius Fitzgerald}}
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{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona |state=collapsed}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Francis Martin}}
Category:People from Houston, Minnesota
Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Winona
Category:University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni
Category:Catholic University of America alumni
Category:20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops
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