“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.
The Reverend James Kelly laughs as he says the secret to longevity is a lot of milk and prayers.Credit: AP
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?‘”
Imagination, friends and being grateful for the simple pleasures
Imagination, he says, is one of his favourite 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.
A photo of Reverend James Kelly as a young priest.Credit: AP
He treasures other memories, such as travelling 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 favourite 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 recognised 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.”
Reverend James Kelly takes off his Roman collar and gets ready to go to a doctor’s appointment.Credit: AP
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.”
