The Rev. James Kelly baptized and married thousands of people, ministered to the ill at hospitals and traveled the world.

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

At 100, this globetrotting Catholic priest from Philly still celebrates life The longest-serving priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of his ...

When a newly elected Pope Leo XIV appeared wearing the red mozzetta, a traditional papal garment set aside for over a decade, ...

Meet the 100-year-old Catholic priest who still ... in there, and I’d make a vestment, ... newspaper of the time when he climbed in his Roman collar to the top of a bridge and ...

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.

BLUE BELL, Pa. (AP) — Throughout his remarkable lifetime, the Rev. James Kelly has baptized thousands of people, married thousands more, ministered to the sick in hospitals, and traveled the ...

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.

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.

100-Year-Old Priest The Rev. James Kelly takes off his Roman collar and gets ready to go to a doctor’s appointment in Blue Bell, Pa., on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao) ...

At 100, this globetrotting Catholic priest still bakes pies, enjoys opera and performs daily Mass The Rev. James Kelly baptized and married thousands of people, ministered to the ill at hospitals ...

BLUE BELL, Pa. (AP) — Throughout his remarkable lifetime, the Rev. James Kelly has baptized thousands of people, married thousands more, ministered to the sick in hospitals, and traveled the ...