Archbishop Patrick Kelly of Liverpool marks the 50th anniversary of his
ordination this weekend with religious and civil authorities from across England and
beyond attending celebrations in the northern English city he has served since 1996.
Ordained a priest on February 18th 1962 in the chapel of the Venerable
English College in Rome, he was rector at Oscott seminary in Birmingham before being
appointed Bishop of Salford in 1984. He is a consulter for the Vatican’s Justice and
Peace Council, a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, a former
member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission and is president of
the International Catholic Foundation for deaf people. A former vice-president
of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Archbishop Kelly travels
regularly to the Holy Land where he has developed strong ties between his diocese
and the local Christian community. On the eve of his Golden Jubilee, Philippa
Hitchen asked him what would be the focus of this special anniversary celebration.....
Listen:
"Both
with the Carmelite sisters on Saturday and in the Cathedral on Sunday....there will
be a strong focus on the Baptism of Our Lord...I've always felt that His baptism is
the nearest thing to ordination....the moment when He resolved not to remain safe
and aloof on the bank but to plunge into the water....and so to accompany us home...."