Obituary: Fr. Linus Kelly C.P.
1928-2004

This year Linus would have celebrated 50 years as a priest, and 56 years as a professed Passionist. Many of those years were spent in Africa, having gone there in 1958, just 4 years after his ordination. Much of the wonderful work he did there was recorded in the history of our mission in Africa when we celebrated the golden jubilee 2 years ago.

Born in Dublin just short of 76 years ago on 15th March, two days short of the Feast of St. Patrick, after whom he was named by his parents John and Catherine Kelly. Educated by the Christian Brothers, he spent a short time working for the ESB before he joined the Passionists. He was destined for the newly established mission in what was then Bechuanaland. After a short time at the mission in Kgale where he learned some of the language, he moved on to Francistown, where he remained for the next 4 years and was the first to make visits to the outstation of Tonota. He left there for Lobatse in 1962 when a reshuffle took place after the untimely death of Fr. Fergal Smith. He was to remain there for the next 10 years with among others, Fr Eunan and Fr. Fernando. Their abiding memory of Linus is carrying around a little moneybox with the proceeds of sales of work he used to hold to help fund various projects. And while in Lobatse he delighted in the weekly visits to the C.P. Sisters where there was always a big helping of creamed rice to which he would add mountains of jam to feed his notorious sweet tooth.

In 1972 he was entrusted with opening the new mission at Kanye and with the building of a house and church, and also a convent to which he brought the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1975. In the same year he was elected as the overall superior of the African Mission, meaning that his time and energy was then divided between Kanye and all the other missions.

When he was re-elected in 1978 he and his team were entrusted with developing Passionist life in Africa, where previous to this the task had been to establish the Church and to develop parish structures. The fruits of those efforts are to be seen now as we move ever closer to that day when African Passionists with
manage the mission. Today Botswana is one of the best served Churches in the whole of Africa and that is down to the tireless efforts of the Passionists and is part of the legacy of people like Fr. Linus.

In 1982, after completing his second term as regional superior, and after the death of the Passionist Bishop Urban Murphy, Linus returned to Ireland with the intention of seeking a visa to return and work in the developing mission in South Africa. This he did for a few years before returning home to take on the role of vicar here in Mount Argus; then parish priest and rector of Prestonpans in Scotland, and finally being part of the local apostolate team in Crossgar and then back here in Mount Argus.

Over the past few years his health began to deteriorate but Linus still made himself available for whatever ministries he was capable of. His own brother John was also unwell in Queen of Peace Nursing Home but Linus was ever faithful in visiting him. It's extraordinary that Linus died exactly one year, not just to the day, but to the hour that John died. Linus will be remembered as a decent, faithful and gentle man, a good priest and a good Passionist. There is no denying the legacy he left behind him both here and in his beloved Botswana. May he rise to new life with Christ and share in his Resurrection.