AFTER turning 75 in May, the Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora has this week tendered his resignation to the pope.
Bishop Brendan Kelly, a former Parish Priest of Lisdoonvarna, also celebrated his Golden Jubilee having been ordained 50 years ago this week.
Bishop Kelly was born in Derrybrien, County Galway, in the parish of Ballinakill in 1946 to Seán and Annie Kelly.
He was the second of nine children. He attended Craughwell National School and later boarded at St Mary’s Diocesan College in the City.
After his Leaving Cert, he applied to study for the priesthood in the Galway diocese. He was sent to St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, in September of that year.
As a seminarian, he completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1967 and a Bachelor of Divinity Degree in 1970.
On June 20, 1971, he was ordained by Bishop Browne in the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas.
His first appointment was to the parish of Kinvara as a curate before being appointed to the teaching staff of Coláiste Éinde in Salthill in 1972, completing a Higher Diploma in Education in 1973.
Bishop Brendan remained on the staff of Coláiste Éinde until 1980 when he was transferred to the teaching staff of Our Lady’s College, Gort, where he became its president in 1986.
Following the 1995 amalgamation of the three Gort secondary schools, Bishop Brendan was granted sabbatical leave from his diocese for one year and went to live with the L’Arche Community at Cuise-la-Motte in France.
Founded by Jean Vanier in 1964, the worldwide L’Arche movement seeks to create inclusive, creative and caring families where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work in friendship, joy and mutual respect.
Returning to his diocese in 1996, Bishop Brendan was appointed by Bishop James McLoughlin as parish priest of Lisdoonvarna and subsequently as parish priest of An Spidéal in 2003.
On November 20, 2007, Bishop Brendan was named by Pope Benedict XVI as the Bishop of Achonry, succeeding Bishop Thomas Flynn, and on January 27, 2008, he was ordained to the episcopate by Cardinal Seán Brady in the Cathedral of the Annunciation and St Nathy in Ballaghaderreen.
On December 11, 2017, Pope Francis named Bishop Brendan as Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora, succeeding Bishop Martin Drennan who retired in July 2016.
Bishop Kelly was officially installed as bishop in the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, Galway, on February 11, 2018, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.