Michael Kennelly
Encyclopedia
Michael F. Kennelly, S.J.
, (May 22, 1914 – January 3, 2011) was an Irish
-born American
Jesuit and academic administrator. He was a member of the Society of Jesus
for more than seventy-seven years.
Kennelly served as the 13th president of Loyola University New Orleans
from 1970 until 1974. He was also the founder of Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
in Houston, Texas
. Kennelly spent thirty-three of his years of his priesthood working in Tampa, Florida
on three separate occasions.
, Moyvane
, County Kerry
, Ireland
, to parents, Timothy and Mary Jane Kennelly, who resided in County Kerry. He had five brothers and four sisters. In 1929, his uncle invited him to attend high school in New York City
. A second uncle, Rev. Patrick Ryan, further encouraged Kennelly to move to Mobile, Alabama
, where he attended Spring Hill College, which had a high school on its campus at the time.
Kennelly entered the Society of Jesus
, whose members are commonly known as the Jesuits, on June 9, 1933, at St. Charles College
in Grand Coteau
, Louisiana
(Today, St. Charles College is now the Jesuit Spirituality Center at St. Charles College). He obtained his bachelor's degree
in classics
from Spring Hill College
in 1939. He then studied at St. Mary's College, Kansas
. He was ordained a Catholic priest within the Society of Jesus in 1946 while studying at St. Mary's College. Kennelly then returned to Ireland, where he received a master's degree
in education in 1949 from the National University of Ireland
.
Kennelly spent much of the 1940s as a postgraduate student while also working as a teacher and administrator at several Jesuit-run high schools. He first worked as a teacher at Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida
from 1940 until 1943. He left that position to pursue studies at St. Mary's College in Kansas. Kennelly was then appointed the principal of the former Jesuit High School in Shreveport, Louisiana
, from 1948 until 1953.
from 1953 to 1959. Kennelly spearheaded a $600,000 capital campaign to purchase 80 acres of rural farmland from a dairy
rancher during his tenure as principal. The land acquisition allowed Jesuit High School to move from its former downtown Tampa location to the current campus, which is located on North Himes Avenue.
The Tampa Tribune called Kennelly the "founder" of the modern Jesuit High School campus in 2011. Kennelly designed Jesuit High School's campus with St. Anthony's chapel as its centerpiece.
in Houston, Texas
. He served as the school's president and rector from 1959 until 1970, when he departed to become president of Loyola University New Orleans.
of Loyola University New Orleans
. The new home of the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
was constructed during Kennelly's tenure in office. Kennelly also established the President's Council, which consisted of a group of business executives who contributed their professional experience to the university. Kennelly was a fervent opponent of recreational drugs on campus, telling the Times-Picayune in a 1974 interview that, "I've done everything in my power to wipe them from the campus, and I think I've been successful."
Kennelly stepped down as President of the university in 1974 at the age of 59, saying it was time for a younger leader, according to The Times-Picayune. He was succeeded as president by Father James C. Carter, S.J., who had been the university's provost
before his promotion.
of Gesu Church
in downtown Miami, Florida
, after leaving the Loyola presidency. Kennelly served at Geru Church from 1974 until 1975.
Kennelly returned to Tampa in 1980, where he would live and work for twenty-two years. He became the associate pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida
from 1980 to 1982. He was further elevated to pastor-superior of Sacred Heart Catholic Church from 1982 until 1990. Kennelly publicly supported the opening a St. Francis House, an outreach center founded by Franciscan Sister Anne Dougherty to provide support for people with AIDS
and HIV
, in 1988.
Kennelly returned once again to Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida, serving as its rector
and vice president from 1990 until 1997. He then returned to Sacred Heart Church in Tampa, as the pastor emeritus and Jesuit provincial vicar
from 1997 until 2002.
located in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, in 2003.
Father Michael Kennelly died at the Ignatius Residence in Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 3, 2011, at the age of 96. He was the oldest Jesuit priest in the Society of Jesus' New Orleans province at the time of his death. Kennelly was survived by his sister, Mary Jane Coulon, and brother, Timothy Kennelly. A funeral mass was said on January 7, 2011, at the Most Holy Name of Jesus Church in New Orleans. Kennelly was buried at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana
.
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, (May 22, 1914 – January 3, 2011) was an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Jesuit and academic administrator. He was a member of the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
for more than seventy-seven years.
Kennelly served as the 13th president of Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
from 1970 until 1974. He was also the founder of Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory is an all-men's Jesuit, university-preparatory school for grades 9-12 in the Greater Sharpstown area of Houston, Texas. It is located in proximity to Alief....
in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Kennelly spent thirty-three of his years of his priesthood working in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
on three separate occasions.
Early life
Kennelly was born on May 22, 1914, in KilbahaKilbaha
Kilbaha, County Clare, Ireland, is a small fishing village located on the Loop Head peninsula.-History:According to Parliamentary Gazeteer of Ireland 1845 the village had a population of 460 in 1831, and 531 in 1841.-Location and transport:...
, Moyvane
Moyvane
Moyvane is a small village in County Kerry in the south west of Ireland. It is situated off the N69 road between Listowel to the South-West and Tarbert to the North...
, County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, to parents, Timothy and Mary Jane Kennelly, who resided in County Kerry. He had five brothers and four sisters. In 1929, his uncle invited him to attend high school in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. A second uncle, Rev. Patrick Ryan, further encouraged Kennelly to move to Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, where he attended Spring Hill College, which had a high school on its campus at the time.
Kennelly entered the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, whose members are commonly known as the Jesuits, on June 9, 1933, at St. Charles College
St. Charles College
St. Charles College may refer to:* St. Charles College, a Catholic seminary school in Ellicott City, Maryland,* St. Charles College , a now defunct Methodist college in St. Charles, Missouri...
in Grand Coteau
Grand Coteau
Grand Coteau may refer to:* Grand Coteau, Louisiana, a town in the United States* The Battle of Grand Coteau , fought during the American Civil War...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
(Today, St. Charles College is now the Jesuit Spirituality Center at St. Charles College). He obtained his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
from Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College is a private, Roman Catholic Jesuit liberal arts college in the United States. It was founded in 1830 on the Gulf Coast in Mobile, Alabama, by Most Rev. Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile, Alabama...
in 1939. He then studied at St. Mary's College, Kansas
St. Mary's College, Kansas
Saint Mary's Academy and College is a religious school of the Society of St. Pius X located in St. Marys, Kansas, 25 miles west of Topeka.- St. Mary's College :...
. He was ordained a Catholic priest within the Society of Jesus in 1946 while studying at St. Mary's College. Kennelly then returned to Ireland, where he received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in education in 1949 from the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
.
Kennelly spent much of the 1940s as a postgraduate student while also working as a teacher and administrator at several Jesuit-run high schools. He first worked as a teacher at Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
from 1940 until 1943. He left that position to pursue studies at St. Mary's College in Kansas. Kennelly was then appointed the principal of the former Jesuit High School in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, from 1948 until 1953.
Jesuit High School in Tampa
Kennelly returned to Jesuit High School in Tampa, where he served as the school's president and rectorRector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
from 1953 to 1959. Kennelly spearheaded a $600,000 capital campaign to purchase 80 acres of rural farmland from a dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
rancher during his tenure as principal. The land acquisition allowed Jesuit High School to move from its former downtown Tampa location to the current campus, which is located on North Himes Avenue.
The Tampa Tribune called Kennelly the "founder" of the modern Jesuit High School campus in 2011. Kennelly designed Jesuit High School's campus with St. Anthony's chapel as its centerpiece.
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
Kennelly founded Strake Jesuit College PreparatoryStrake Jesuit College Preparatory
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory is an all-men's Jesuit, university-preparatory school for grades 9-12 in the Greater Sharpstown area of Houston, Texas. It is located in proximity to Alief....
in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He served as the school's president and rector from 1959 until 1970, when he departed to become president of Loyola University New Orleans.
President of Loyola University New Orleans (1970-1974)
Kennelly served as the 13th PresidentChancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
. The new home of the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law is a private law school in New Orleans, Louisiana affiliated with Loyola University New Orleans. Loyola's law school opened in 1914 and is now located on the Broadway Campus of the University in the historic Audubon Park District of the city. The College...
was constructed during Kennelly's tenure in office. Kennelly also established the President's Council, which consisted of a group of business executives who contributed their professional experience to the university. Kennelly was a fervent opponent of recreational drugs on campus, telling the Times-Picayune in a 1974 interview that, "I've done everything in my power to wipe them from the campus, and I think I've been successful."
Kennelly stepped down as President of the university in 1974 at the age of 59, saying it was time for a younger leader, according to The Times-Picayune. He was succeeded as president by Father James C. Carter, S.J., who had been the university's provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
before his promotion.
Florida
Father Kennelly became the assistant pastorAssistant pastor
An assistant pastor is a person who assists the pastor in a Christian church. The qualifications, responsibilities and duties vary depending on church and denomination....
of Gesu Church
Gesu Church (Miami, Florida)
The Gesu Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Miami, Florida. It is located at 118 Northeast 2nd Street. On July 18, 1974, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places...
in downtown Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, after leaving the Loyola presidency. Kennelly served at Geru Church from 1974 until 1975.
Kennelly returned to Tampa in 1980, where he would live and work for twenty-two years. He became the associate pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
from 1980 to 1982. He was further elevated to pastor-superior of Sacred Heart Catholic Church from 1982 until 1990. Kennelly publicly supported the opening a St. Francis House, an outreach center founded by Franciscan Sister Anne Dougherty to provide support for people with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, in 1988.
Kennelly returned once again to Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida, serving as its rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
and vice president from 1990 until 1997. He then returned to Sacred Heart Church in Tampa, as the pastor emeritus and Jesuit provincial vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
from 1997 until 2002.
Later life
Kennelly moved to Ignatius Residence, a Jesuit retirement communityRetirement community
A retirement community, or active adult community, is a very broad, generic term that covers many varieties of housing for retirees and seniors - especially designed or geared for people who no longer work, or restricted to those over a certain age . It differs from a retirement home which is a...
located in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, in 2003.
Father Michael Kennelly died at the Ignatius Residence in Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 3, 2011, at the age of 96. He was the oldest Jesuit priest in the Society of Jesus' New Orleans province at the time of his death. Kennelly was survived by his sister, Mary Jane Coulon, and brother, Timothy Kennelly. A funeral mass was said on January 7, 2011, at the Most Holy Name of Jesus Church in New Orleans. Kennelly was buried at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana
Grand Coteau, Louisiana
Grand Coteau is a town in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,040 at the 2000 census. Grand Coteau is on Interstate 49 south of Opelousas and is part of the Opelousas–Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town is a center for local farming...
.