Father Ray Kelly Hallelujah singing sensation reminisces and humanizes his journey into the priesthood Part One

Father Ray Kelly Opens Up

Father Ray Kelly was a late vocation into the priesthood at 35.

Early on I thought about the priesthood but I started having money in my pocket so that changed me completely.

I was a hit-and-miss Catholic and didn’t go to Mass consistently.

The Pope invited my group to Castle Gandolfo and I entertained him singing the song Danny Boy.

Well, I started going to Mass and I began to have these thoughts in my head and the thought was ‘Ray, you know you could be up there doing what that guy is doing.’

Ray, I thought, you’re definitely cracking up. No way no way don’t even think about being up there. Absolutely not.

Well, I sold my car, I quit my job and I joined the Kiltegans, a missionary society. St. Patrick’s Missionary Society.  I was ordained June 1989.

Some guys and I formed a band.  Rafiki.  We recorded a song I wrote while another guy wrote the music for Youth Aid in Africa.

As a missionary I went to South Africa.  I was about three months into learning the language when I received a phone call.  My dad was very sick.

It’s meaningful that I flew back to be with the family. My dad died of a brain tumor.

After the funeral I returned to Africa.

Apartheid was supposedly breaking up but it shocked me with the continued segregation.  It was stressful but there seemed to be nothing I could do.

We only get one shot at this through this life and we have to do the best we can and give the best we can.

Listen to Father Ray Kelly, Part 1

Read more about Father Ray Kelly on my Blog

Partial Transcript

Welcome to Father Ray Kelly from Ireland. I do not want to label him with any specific positive imprint because he has many.

I want to begin with what brought him to the priesthood

I guess I was a late vocation. I was late to the priesthood. I was about 35 years old when I was ordained. I had worked in Dublin for about well nearly eleven years in the Civil Service in the government offices there.

I remember when I was 16 or 17 thinking about the priesthood but I think something scared me off very very fast. Well then I got a job and I started having money in my pocket so that changed me completely with regards to thinking about the priesthood.

And it's strange how things come back to you. Back in 1979 Pope John Paul II came to Ireland. It was a great occasion. when Pope John Paul II came in September of 1979 and I thought well it was a great experience to meet the pope and I was there in one of the locations where he said Mass.

The following year a group of us in Dublin, part of the Catholic youth Council, decided to pay a return visit to Rome to thank Pope John Paul II for coming to Ireland. So an organization was set up for about a thousand young people that traveled over to Rome for 9-day trip or a pilgrimage. I was on that with a number of my friends from work as well and that was a great experience in itself and we had met the Pope in Peter's Square.

He invited us to Castle Gandolfo for Mass and then