Francis Martin Kelly
Francis Martin Kelly 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 on November 15, 1886, in Houston, Minnesota, to James and Ellen Kelly. His father sat in the Minnesota Legislature. 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. and a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from the Propaganda University in Rome.Priesthood
Kelly was ordained to the priesthood in Rome for the Diocese of Winona by Patriarch Giuseppe Ceppetelli on November 1, 1912. He became secretary to Bishop Patrick Richard Heffron in 1914, and taught philosophy at Saint Mary's College in Winona and the College of Saint Teresa in Winona between 1915 and 1926. Kelly served chancellor of the diocese from 1919 to 1926 and as vice-rector of St. Mary's from 1918 to 1926.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 at Saint Mary's College by Archbishop Patrick Richard Heffron on June 9, 1926. On February 10, 1928, Pius XI appointed Kelly as bishop of Winona diocese.In 1941, Kelly suffered a stroke, and had to re-learn how to celebrate mass. In 1942, he suffered a second stroke, which permanently incapacitated him. He spent his final seven years as bishop at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.Kelly retired as bishop of Winona on October 17, 1949. Francis Kelly died in Rochester, Minnesota, on June 24, 1950.