At 100, the longest-serving priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia still says daily Mass

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(28 Jun 2025)
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Blue Bell, Pennsylvania - 26 June 2025
1. Various of Father James Kelly holding a mass in his apartment for residents in the retired living community
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rev. James Kelly, Archdiocese of Philadelphia:
“Well, all I can say is when I was a little kid, I had my own little table in my room, and I had a little glass with some flowers in there and I would play mass. So, I had candy and give the family communion with candy. So that's when I was a little kid, so from my earliest years, going to mass with my parents, I would see what the priest did there. When I come home sometimes, I would try to play mass in there. I would try to dress up like the priest did and have my little altar in my room and would say mass and I would give communion to those in the family.”
3. Father Kelly handing off communion bread
4. Mid of religious statue of the Virgin Mary
5. Various of Father Kelly placing his rope in a suitcase
6 Mid of various of items in Father Kelly’s bedroom including a picture of him standing between his parents
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rev. James Kelly, Archdiocese of Philadelphia:
“I’m practicing as a priest in many parishes, baptizing people, and the marriages, they're in the thousands I gather that I baptized people. The number of people I know and the thousands and thousands of people. When I was in Jefferson Hospital day and night, and in the different parishes baptizing them, and the marriages I performed over the years, it would be many hundreds of them. I can't count the number of the people that I've married and have been involved in their lives. And the funerals that I've said, thousands and thousands of funerals that I said in my lifetime.”
8. Tilt down from a certificate from Pope Francis on 75th anniversary of his ordination
9. Various of Father Kelly looking at a picture book
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rev. James Kelly, Archdiocese of Philadelphia:
“Yes, Mother Teresa came to Philadelphia and she visited the parishes. I was in the Black ministry at that time and I picked up Mother Teresa and I was asked to take her up to Chestnut Hill College so I introduced Mother Teresa to the faculty there. And speaking to her in the car, I held what's a wonderful person just to have that opportunity to be with her for over hours, you know, and I said, Mother Teresa, how about praying for me? And she said, well, sure, I'll pray for you every day of my life. That's a promise. I said, oh, am I lucky? Well, it happened that was maybe five or six years later, I happened to be in the Holy land with a group of people, and I was going into the Holy Sepulchre where Christ was buried. And I was just walking, actually where the tomb is Christ is buried. Mother Teresa was about to leave and she walked over to me and addressed me by my name. Father Kelly, how are you? You look wonderful. I said, you didn't forget me, of course I didn’t forget you. I've been praying for you, all these. I said oh, I'm so grateful.”
11. Cut away of cross on the bottom of a chalice
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rev. James Kelly, Archdiocese of Philadelphia:
“I hope I've helped many others in my journey in this highway of life. That's all I can say is, Lord, you know, I tried my best. It may not have been the best I could have done, but I did try. That's all I could say is never stop trying and eventually you get it right.”
13. Various of Father Kelly having lunch with his friend
STORYLINE:


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.





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