A mass of Christian burial was held Feb. 11 at St. Aloysius Church, Jersey City for Monsignor Martin Robert Kelly. He passed away Feb. 2 at St. Joseph Home for the Elderly, Totowa. Monsignor Kelly was born in New York City, the second son of the late Thomas E. Kelly Sr. and Lillian Kelly. He graduated from St. Cecilia High School in Englewood and Seton Hall University. He was predeceased by two brothers, Thomas E. Kelly Jr., and Gerard Donald Kelly and his wife, Ruth. He is survived by his sister, Eileen Kelly; his sister-in-law, Margaret E. Kelly; and 13 nieces and nephews. His service to God, the Catholic Church and the community was tireless. He was ordained in 1947 from Immaculate Conception, Seminary in Darlington.
Monsignor’s first assignment was to St. Bridget Church in Newark. Then, in 1953, he was assigned to St. Catherine Parish in Glen Rock where he served until 1960. In answer to a call from then Archbishop Cushing of Boston, he volunteered for the mission in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. There, he founded the Parish of Saint Joseph the Worker and served the people as their Pastor until 1967. Returning to the states, his next assignment was Parochial Vicar of Saint Bridget Church, Jersey City where he worked in particular with the emerging Hispanic community. Later, he became Pastor of St. Bridget. As pastor he was actively involved in the renovation of St. Bridget School. Through his personal sacrifices and his astute administrative skills, the school survived amidst very trying times.
In 1990, Monsignor went to St. Aloysius Church, Jersey City to “retire.” However, his ministry to the Hispanic community continued there until he “officially” retired and moved to St. Joseph Home for the Elderly in 2008. Services arranged by the Alvarez-Marshello Funeral Home, Jersey City.