Internewscast Journal
  • Home
  • US News
  • Local News
  • Health
  • People
  • Guest Post
  • Support Our Cause
Internewscast Journal
  • Home
  • US News
  • Local News
  • Health
  • People
  • Guest Post
  • Support Our Cause
Home Local news At 100 Years Old, This World-Traveling Catholic Priest Continues to Bake Pies, Enjoy Opera, and Hold Daily Mass
  • Local news

At 100 Years Old, This World-Traveling Catholic Priest Continues to Bake Pies, Enjoy Opera, and Hold Daily Mass

    At 100, this globetrotting Catholic priest still bakes pies, enjoys opera and performs daily Mass
    Up next
    Lauren Sanchez stuns as she emerges following Jeff Bezos wedding
    Lauren Sanchez Turns Heads After Jeff Bezos’ Wedding
    Published on 28 June 2025
    Author
    Internewscast
    Tags
    • and,
    • bakes,
    • Carlo Acutis,
    • catholic,
    • Daily,
    • enjoys,
    • globetrotting,
    • Joan Sutherland,
    • Kathleen Quigley,
    • Lifestyle,
    • mass,
    • opera,
    • performs,
    • pies,
    • Pope Francis,
    • priest,
    • Religion,
    • still,
    • this,
    • U.S. news
    Share this @internewscast.com
    FacebookXRedditPinterest

    BLUE BELL, Pa. – Over his incredible lifetime, Rev. James Kelly has baptized thousands, officiated thousands of marriages, cared for the ill in hospitals, and traveled globally. He became acquainted with an opera luminary and even befriended a saint.

    The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s longest-serving priest celebrated both his 75th ordination anniversary and his 100th birthday. Though grateful for these achievements, he narrowly missed reaching them due to a health scare last year that required critical surgery.

    He feels God gave him some extra time and tries to make each day count.

    “The Lord has been wonderful to me, granting me the health, strength, and energy to travel and experience beautiful surprises,” Kelly states.

    Born on Jan. 7, 1925, in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Roxborough to a devoutly Catholic family, Kelly’s path to the priesthood seems ordained from the start. He loved attending church. Other children dreamt of becoming athletes, doctors, firefighters. He wanted to be a priest.

    “When I was 4 or 5 years old, I’d play Mass,” he says, laughing, as he recalls that his parents were his first congregants. “I always had a little altar in my room, and I’d have a glass, and some flowers in there, and I’d make a vestment, put a scarf on, and have some candy, and give Communion to everybody.”

    Kelly wakes up at dawn to celebrate Mass at the retirement living community that he now calls home. He listens to opera. He bakes pies.

    Memories, parachute jumps and climbing a bridge to save a life

    Sitting in his room, Kelly flips through a photo album detailing his journey. He smiles with every page turn, pointing to black-and-white photos of him as a toddler and milestones as a Catholic — his baptism, confirmation and ordination as a priest.

    “I turned down Hollywood!” he says, laughing as he points to the portrait of a dapper, young priest, his hair slicked and flashing a wide smile.

    He also points to the photo published by a Philadelphia newspaper of the time when he climbed in his Roman collar to the top of a bridge and dissuaded a man from jumping to his death.

    “Nobody would climb there, so I climbed up — it was 400 feet high. It was a bitter cold day,” he says. “I was able to talk to him and break him down emotionally, so he wouldn’t jump. I told him, ‘What’s your grandchild going to say one day: Papa, why didn’t you take me fishing?'”

    He points to other photos of the many ceremonies he proudly led during his 19 years as pastor of Saint Pius X Parish in Broomall, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Philadelphia.

    There are images of him during a vacation in Mexico when he made a parachute jump. Or that one time, when he visited the majestic Iguazu Falls on the border between Argentina and Brazil, which he recalls as one of the most beautiful sights of his life.

    “Everywhere you turned, there was a rainbow, there was a mist … the water gushing forth and spray and the colors,” he says. “It was, as the kids would say, awesome.”

    Imagination, friends and being grateful for the simple pleasures

    Imagination, he says, is one of his favorite words, recalling that he wrote his college thesis on it. “Jesus used his imagination to teach,” he says, in what became an example when he prepared his own sermons.

    He treasures other memories, such as traveling to more than 100 countries and meeting Saint Teresa of Kolkata, also known as Mother Theresa. Kelly says the two became friends over the years after meeting in Philadelphia and running into each other at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The centenarian also shared the time when he took a group of blind children to a live performance of his friend, acclaimed soprano Joan Sutherland.

    “I’ve been fortunate to meet some of the most magnificent, good people in this world, and they’ve been most generous and gracious to me,” Kelly says.

    These days, he enjoys simple pleasures: the taste of cherries, a beautiful song, or his favorite meal — roast chicken with mashed potatoes, fresh string beans, and corn on the cob.

    He loves learning and often attends lectures on music, art history and Egyptology at the Normandy Farms Estates retirement community where he resides in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

    His apartment is decorated with a painting of the Virgin Mary that he drew with chalk, a portrait of his mother, and a note signed by the late Pope Francis.

    On his bedside table, he keeps an image of Carlo Acutis, the Catholic Church’s first millennial-era saint. Kelly is inspired by Acutis, who died at 15 in 2006. Especially Acutis’ devotion and how he used his computer skills to create an online exhibit about scores of eucharistic miracles recognized by the church over centuries.

    The ritual of a humble daily Mass and the secret to a long life

    Every morning, he wakes up without the need of an alarm clock and says the same prayer: “Lord, what surprise do you have for me today?”

    “I hope it’ll be a nice one that I’ll love and enjoy. I never know, but I want to thank you for whatever happens today.”

    After a cup of coffee, he celebrates Mass in his apartment for a few residents of his community.

    “When I moved here, I never thought I was going to have a private chapel!” Kathleen Quigley, a retired nurse, quipped after a recent service. “I just love my faith, and he’s such a stronghold of faith that it’s wonderful for me to have. I just come right downstairs, have Mass, we talk, he shares his food.”

    Kelly once ministered to large congregations, but he feels the daily Mass in his living room is as important.

    “It’s not in a beautiful chapel or church. But it’s here that I can offer my love and efforts to the Heavenly Father,” he says. After the final prayer, he always remembers to be grateful.

    “That’s all I can say — two words: thank you. It’s wonderful that I have another day, and I might be able to eat some delicious cherries today, and meet people, new friends,” he says. “God knows what surprises I’ll encounter today.”

    His secret to longevity?

    “I drink lots of milk,” he says, laughing. “And I say lots of prayers.”

    __

    Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    Share this @internewscast.com
    FacebookXRedditPinterest
    You May Also Like
    Ruidoso residents: Flood worse than anything last year
    • Local news

    Ruidoso Locals: Flooding More Severe Than Last Year

    EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Residents of Ruidoso are saying the flash…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Storm Team 3: More storms for Friday, hotter and drier for the weekend
    • Local news

    Storm Team 3: Expect More Storms on Friday with a Hot and Dry Weekend Ahead

    SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Thursday afternoon was very stormy as expected. We…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Gary Coleman ex-wife's polygraph exam 'inconclusive' on his death
    • Local news

    Polygraph Results on Gary Coleman’s Ex-Wife Regarding His Death Remain Unclear

    () Shannon Price, Gary Coleman’s ex-wife, is back in the spotlight after…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Satellite images show before and after deadly Texas flooding
    • Local news

    Dramatic Transformation Revealed in Satellite Images of Texas Flooding

    () As recovery efforts in central Texas continued Wednesday in the aftermath…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Texas twins raise $10K through lemonade stand for Camp Mystic
    • Local news

    Twin sisters in Texas Generate $10,000 for Camp Mystic by Selling Lemonade

    () Nine-year-old twins who attended summer camps devastated by recent flooding have…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Thousands of South Carolina voters marked as 'inactive' following registration check
    • Local news

    South Carolina Voter Registry Update Marks Thousands as ‘Inactive’

    In Columbia, South Carolina, September 170,000 residents have been labeled as “inactive”…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Detention facilities operating over-capacity, new data shows
    • Local news

    New Data Reveals Detention Centers Exceeding Capacity Limits

    McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A recent report indicates that migrants detained…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Senate committee votes to block Trump FBI headquarters move
    • Local news

    Senate Panel Votes to Halt Trump’s FBI Headquarters Relocation

    The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved an amendment to the annual…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Utah Death Row Inmate Ralph Menzies
    • Local news

    Execution Date Scheduled for Utah Death Row Inmate with Dementia

    SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) – A Utah judge on Wednesday set an…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    2 bears join the line for show at Red Rocks
    • Local news

    Two Bears Wait in Line for a Show at Red Rocks

    DENVER (KDVR) Attendees of a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre may have…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Climate change and aerosol pollution made drought inevitable in the Southwest: Study
    • Local news

    Study Finds Drought in the Southwest Inevitable Due to Climate Change and Aerosol Pollution

    (The Hill) – The combined effects of climate change and air pollution…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Driver turns self in after seeing TV coverage of dog being dragged behind truck
    • Local news

    Truck Driver Surrenders After Watching News Story on Dog Dragged Behind Vehicle

    SPRING VALLEY, Calif. (KSWB/KUSI) – The owner of a dog that was…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Small Details You Missed In James Gunn's Superman
    • TV Shows

    Hidden Gems You Probably Overlooked in James Gunn’s Superman

    Warner Bros./DC…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025

    Patti LuPone brings extra madness to ‘And Just Like That’ playing Gia, Giuseppe’s Buffalo-based Italian mom

    Just when you think And Just Like That… can’t get any more…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Alleged tool thief charged after police uncover $100,000 worth of tools
    • Crime

    Tool Theft Suspect Faces Charges After Police Discover $100,000 in Stolen Items

    An alleged tool thief has been charged after police raided a home…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Carolina Wilga, 26, has been backpacking through Australia for the past two years and works on mines to fund her stay at hostels.
    • AU

    Latest Updates on the Missing Backpacker’s Whereabouts in Western Australia’s Outback

    Police discovered the unique Mitsubishi Delica van that the 26-year-old had been…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Internewscast Journal
    • Home
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Guest Post
    • Support Our Cause
    Copyright 2023. All Right Reserverd.