Following a short and sudden illness and intense medical care, Msgr. Francis H. Kelley died at Regina Cleri Residence, Boston, on Feb. 4, 2026. He had been living at the Boston residence for retired priests and had also been serving as its chaplain.

He was born on Sept. 9, 1941, in Boston, the only child of the late Francis and Margaret (Reid) Kelley. He grew up in Canton and was an alumnus of Boston College High School's Class of 1959 and went west to Worcester and received a bachelor of arts degree from the College of the Holy Cross, majoring in history and graduating in the Class of 1963.

He entered the archdiocesan seminary at St. John's Seminary, Brighton, and, following theology studies, was ordained to the priesthood at Holy Cross Cathedral by Richard Cardinal Cushing on May 29, 1968. He returned home to Canton and celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. John the Evangelist Church on June 1, 1968.

During his 52 years of active priestly ministry, he served in four assignments, all in archdiocesan parishes. He was an associate at St. Ambrose, Dorchester (1968-1975), and then at St. John the Baptist, Peabody (1976-1983).

From 1983 to 1991, he was a member of the team ministry at St. Boniface Parish in Quincy's Germantown section.

In 1991, Bernard Cardinal Law named him pastor of Sacred Heart, Roslindale, the ninth pastor of the large urban parish. One of his predecessors, the late Msgr. Edward G. Murray, had also been an alumnus of Holy Cross, and another of his predecessors was the late Bishop Robert J. Banks, who died in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Jan. 25, 2026.

The Roslindale parish was once primarily an Irish and Italian Catholic enclave, but during Msgr. Kelley's tenure, demographics changed, and there was a noticeable influx of Spanish-speaking Catholics. He was determined to have the parish both welcome and serve these "new" people. Masses in Spanish were added, as were Spanish versions of parish programs.

He was also a proponent of Catholic schools and devoted no little effort and time to strengthening Sacred Heart School, leaving future generations a modern curriculum and a better financial situation.

Despite being very busy at Roslindale, he was very much involved in the ministry of the Pine Street Inn, serving on its board and advocating for the services that the inn provides for Boston's homeless.

He was an avid promoter of the social teachings of the Church and the call to involvement and action that those teachings urge. It was a teaching by example as well as by word.

In no small part because of both the parish and his social justice action, Pope St. John Paul II named him a member of the papal household as a prelate of honor with the title of Reverend Monsignor on April 21, 1998.

He was granted senior priest/retirement status by Sean P. Cardinal O'Malley on Nov. 1, 2020, after almost three decades as pastor.

On Feb. 9, the Archdiocese of Boston issued the following statement on the passing of Msgr. Kelley:

"Msgr. Francis Kelley was a good man and great priest. He met people where they were regardless of their station in life helping so many through some very difficult times. There was no better example of this than the role he played as one of the co-founders of Pine Street Inn. He never stopped working there.

"At his core he was a man of deep faith who was passionate about his priestly ministry. A parish priest who was very much involved in the life of his parishioners, he loved telling stories about his parish. He saw the parish as both a place of worship and the very center of a neighborhood. He would often bring together elected officials, business owners, police, religious leaders, School Principals, and other leaders to facilitate communication and build relationships.

"Msgr. Kelley will be missed but we are comforted in the promise of eternal life with our Heavenly Father. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace."

Msgr. Kelley's funeral Mass was celebrated on Feb. 14, 2026, at Sacred Heart Church, Roslindale. Archbishop Richard G. Henning was the principal celebrant of the funeral Mass and Father Francis J. Daly, Regina Cleri Residence, was the homilist.

Among the concelebrants were classmates, friends, and fellow priests from Regina Cleri Residence.

Msgr. Kelley was buried with his parents in St. Francis Cemetery, Centerville.