Father Kelley, major figure in Christian-Jewish dialogue, dies at 82

Published: 2004-09-27

DAYTON, Ohio (CNS) -- A funeral Mass was celebrated Sept. 23 for Marianist Father John "Jack" Kelley, a retired University of Dayton professor of religious studies who helped start the Dayton Christian-Jewish Dialogue in 1973. The priest, who also was instrumental in bringing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to campus 40 years ago, died Sept. 20 at age 82. His funeral Mass was celebrated at the Immaculate Conception Chapel at the University of Dayton. Burial was at Queen of Heaven Cemetery at Mount St. John. Known as a man of strong convictions, Father Kelley worked for social justice and advocated interfaith dialogue. "He was a fiery orator against people of prejudice," said Shirley Flacks, one of the founding members of the Dayton Christian-Jewish Dialogue. "He really was the inspiration for our group to get started," she said in a statement. "He was very driven, very intense and he did a great service for Christian-Jewish relations in that he was very instrumental in getting some of the Passion plays to be less anti-Semitic. If he believed in something, you could not dissuade him."

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