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Francis Clement Kelley | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa | |
 | |
| See | Oklahoma City |
| In office | June 25, 1924 — February 1, 1948 |
| Predecessor | Theophile Meerschaert |
| Successor | Eugene J. McGuinness |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | August 23, 1893 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1870-10-23)October 23, 1870 |
| Died | February 1, 1948 (aged 77) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Occupation | Priest, author |
Francis Clement Kelley (October 23, 1870 – February 1, 1948) was a Canadian-bornCatholic bishop. He was the secondBishop of Oklahoma City, as well as an author and diplomat. He was a Catholicpriest for 54 years, and bishop for 23 years.
Francis Clement Kelley was born inVernon River, Prince Edward Island, Canada, to John and Mary Kelley. His sister was poetLucy Gertrude Clarkin. He was educated atSt. Dunstan's College, Prince Edward Island, and ordained a priest for thediocese ofDetroit,Michigan, in 1893.[1]Father Kelley served as a military chaplain during the Spanish–American War, as a captain with the Michigan National Guard. He was later promoted to the rank of colonel. Kelley served as vice commander general of theMilitary Order of Foreign Wars, a veterans' group, for five years.[1]
While pastor inLapeer, Michigan in 1905, he founded theCatholic Church Extension Society of the United States with the help ofJames Edward Quigley, Archbishop of Chicago.[2] Kelley was elected its first president. The Extension Society continues to promote the mission of the Catholic Church in rural and mission areas of the United States and abroad.[2] Kelley also founded and edited the quarterlyExtension Magazine, which had more than 3 million subscribers during his administration. In addition to his editorial duties, he authored numerous books.[3]
As a diplomat, Kelley represented the bishops of Mexico during theWorld War I Peace Conference in Paris. He also initiated unofficial negotiations between the Vatican and the Italian government for a settlement of theRoman Question. Two years after the war, Kelley was sent to England by the Vatican to settle postwar differences over German and American missions. As president of the Extension Society, Kelley also represented the Mexican bishops during the Carranza Revolution. He established a seminary in Texas for exiled Mexican seminarians and clergy.[1][4]
| Styles of Francis Kelly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | none |
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Kelley wasconsecrated Bishop of Oklahoma in 1924. During his years as Bishop, he successfully resisted the agitation of theKKK and continued his work as the "Extension Bishop." Like other missionary dioceses in the country, Oklahoma received funds from theCatholic Extension to build and to furnish churches. In 1931,Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church became the new cathedral for the diocese, which had become the Diocese of Oklahoma City-Tulsa in 1930.[5]
In 1932, Kelley succeeded Bishop Joseph H. Conroy ofOgdensburg, New York as Chairman of the Bishops Catholic Committee on Scouting. Under his leadership the Catholic Committee expanded to include 22 Archbishops and Bishops, one from each Ecclesiastical Province in the United States.[citation needed] In 1934 the American hierarchy approved a "Plan of Cooperation" recognizing Scouting as serving the church's interest in the spiritual welfare of Catholic youth, and approving it as an approved youth program in the Church. Bishop Kelly was recognized by theBoy Scouts of America with theSilver Buffalo Award in 1939, the first member of the catholic clergy to be so recognized.[citation needed]
Bishop Kelley died inOklahoma City on February 1, 1948, aged 77.[citation needed]
Bishop Kelley High School (inTulsa, Oklahoma) and Bishop Kelley Catholic School (inLapeer, Michigan)[6] are named for Bishop Francis Kelley.
Blood Drenched Altars (1933) is an historical overview of Catholicism in Mexico.[7]Problem Island (1937), is a science fiction novel set on a tropical Island where a Lost Race is found. InPack Rat: A Metaphoric Phantasy (1942), rats parody humans, but lack souls.[8]
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| Preceded by | Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa 1924–1948 | Succeeded by |
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