Jean-Baptiste Kelly (5 October 1783 – 24 February 1854) was a Québécois Roman Catholic vicar-general of Irish ancestry who was active in Lower Canada.
Early life and education
Kelly's success had humble beginnings. He was born in Quebec City, Quebec, to a carter, John Kelly, and Marguerite Migneron. If Joseph-Octave Plessis had not encountered him on the street and sent him to primary school, Kelly might have lived an unremarkable life. As it happened, Kelly, after that schooling, and reaching the age of 14, was sent to the Petit Séminaire de Québec, where his "very great application in all things" could be demonstrated. Elected prefect of the Congrégation de la Bienheureuse-Vierge-Marie-Immaculée in 1802, Kelly was assisted by Jacques Labrie and future Lower Canada Rebellion leader Louis-Joseph Papineau.
Plessis had also furthered his own career, becoming coadjutor bishop of Quebec. In 1803, Kelly had a chance to repay Plessis' investment in him, becoming Plessis' assistant secretary. Two years later, when Plessis was made bishop, Kelly served as diocesan secretary. The next year, 1806, Kelly left his mentor, and Quebec City, to work under François Cherrier, Vicar General at Saint-Denis, a town south of Montreal (and, coincidentally, where Kelly's former assistant Papineau would win a major Rebel victory three decades later). Cherrier was also impressed by Kelly, describing him as "his charming lieutenant vicar". On 9 November 1806, Plessis ordained his protégée as a full Catholic priest.
Priesthood
Kelly's life as a priest was by no means carefree. He spent much of his life as a priest in difficult areas. In Plessis' opinion, hardship postings helped develop character and maturity in the cadre of young priests he had recruited.
Madawaska
Kelly found himself (and four of his sisters, whom he brought with him) on a mission to Madawaska, New Brunswick, in 1808. Madawaska was both a very large area for one priest, and involved in a territory dispute (see Republic of Madawaska). Kelly arrived in the small community of Saint-Basile, New Brunswick. Saint-Basile had come to Plessis' attention; "[its] church is in ruins, that the presbytery is badly maintained, that the tithes are paid negligently, [and] that luxury, entertainment, and licentiousness reign". Kelly quickly came to blame alcohol. "Even my sexton wants to become an innkeeper, and we already have nine!", Kelly complained. In spite of his efforts, Kelly failed to rebuild the church or presbytery. He was also responsible for the Saint John valley, which demanded his attention. The valley, despite its proximity to Fredericton, also lacked proper church structures. An additional problem was that Kelly had come prepared with an Abenaki dictionary, but the local First Nations people were Malecite.
Kelly spent the period addressing these issues, learning English, and in constant communication with Plessis. "I think that if St Jerome had had to go sixty leagues on snowshoe to obtain absolution and had needed confession as frequently as I, he would have given up the solitary life very quickly," noted Kelly in January, 1810.
Saint-Denis
That October, Kelly returned to Saint-Denis upon Cherrier's death. Saint-Denis was no Madawaska; Kelly found a well-maintained, prosperous church. He busied himself with collecting funds for, and then implementing, its remodeling. He also attempted to revive the church's college, but this project was derailed by a similar undertaking by the Reverend Antoine Girouard in nearby Saint-Hyacinthe.
In 1811, Bernard-Claude Panet and Kelly toured Quebec from La Malbaie to Quebec City. The War of 1812 brought two American invasions into Lower Canada over the next two years. Kelly also made a tour of Upper Canada with his mentor in 1816.
William Henry/Saint-Pierre
Those six years would be the most comfortable for Kelly. In September 1817, Plessis once again decided a new challenge was in order. Kelly was posted to the large parish of Saint-Pierre, in William Henry (Sorel). Kelly came face-to-face with the notorious fur traders, who were less than receptive to his sermons. Three years later, Kelly refused an even more difficult assignment from Plessis, further into the northwest, wanting less of the fur traders, not more of them. The Saint-Pierre presbytery may have been preferable to the wilderness, but by 1819 it was declared dangerously unfit for habitation. It wasn't until 1832 that a new presbytery was built, using stone from the original.