A memorial eucharist and celebration of the life of Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan Bishop James Kelsey will be held June 8 in Marquette, Michigan.
Visitation will be at 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church,
201 East Ridge St. The memorial eucharist will be at 4 p.m. at St.
Michael Roman Catholic Church, on the corner of College Street and
Presque Isle Avenue.
Kelsey, 54, was killed in a road accident June 3, while returning to
Marquette from a parish visitation. The accident, which remains under
investigation by the Michigan State Police, occurred along what is
known as the Seney Stretch in Alger County, about two miles east of
Shingleton, Michigan on Highway M-28.
Michael Charles Wiita, 58, of Lake Linden, Michigan, the driver of a
pick-up truck with which Kelsey's sports utility vehicle apparently
collided, was also killed in the accident. A passenger in Wiita's
truck, Jessica Amber Slavik, 27, of Hubbell, Michigan, was injured.
Kelsey was traveling alone.
The driver of a third vehicle involved in the accident was not injured, according to an article in the Marquette Mining Journal newspaper.
Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming Bishop Bruce Caldwell, a longtime friend and Kelsey's colleague in Mutual Ministry
practiced in both dioceses, will be the presider. Other participants in
the service are still being chosen, according to Rise Thew Forrester,
editor of the diocesan newspaper.
The Diocesan Standing Committee and what is known as the diocese's
"core team" met with members of the Kelsey family on the morning of
June 4 to begin planning the memorial Eucharist.
The family issued a statement later in the day. It reads in full:
"The
world became a darker place with the passing of James Arthur Kelsey.
James gained love and respect from everyone he met in his professional
and personal life. James spent his life giving. Giving of his time, his
heart, and his soul to help anyone and everyone in need. His levels of
compassion and kindness were unparalleled. A courageous man, willing to
stand up for his beliefs, James Kelsey was the benchmark to which great
men are judged. Not only a great man, but a great husband, and father.
There was no better model for how to be a truly wonderful human being
than the one he provided for his sons and daughter.
"If the world were full of more men like James Arthur Kelsey, it
would be a wonderful place. Sadly, today we find ourselves with one
less."
After learning of Kelsey's death the evening of June 3, Presiding
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said: "The Episcopal Church has today
lost one of its bright lights. We will be less without the easy grace
of Bishop James Kelsey -- Jim to most of us -- and we shall miss his
humor, insight, and passion for the ministry of all. He gave us much.
We pray for the repose of his soul, and for his family. We pray also
for the Diocese of Northern Michigan. All of us have lost a friend. May
he rest in peace and rise in glory."
House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson, who lives in downstate
Michigan and was a friend of Kelsey and his wife, Mary, said June 4
that Kelsey was beloved.
"He embraced all the baptized and helped us discover our gifts and
fully use them in the name of Jesus Christ. He was a friend in the
truest sense," she said. "We have been blessed to have him in our
lives."
Born in 1952 in Baltimore, Maryland, Kelsey graduated from Ithaca
College in 1974, and from General Theological Seminary in New York City
in 1977. In 1985, Kelsey moved with his family to Oklahoma, where he
served for four years as canon missioner for Cluster Ministries. In
1989, he was called to the Diocese of Northern Michigan, where he
served for 10 years as ministry development coordinator before being
elected bishop in 1999.
Kelsey will be remembered as a welcoming and open person who always
endeavored to include others, Jane Cisluycis, diocesan operations
coordinator, said June 3. "It is hard to imagine the hole he will leave
behind," she said.
Episcopal Divinity School
(EDS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, awarded Kelsey an honorary Doctor of
Divinity degree during its commencement exercises May 17. In the citation
accompanying the degree, EDS professor Fredrica Harris Thompsett said
that Kelsey was committed to "communal leadership and appreciation of
all the baptized."
"Some ministry folk who are truly skilled in collaborative, shared
ministry are educated over time into this path," Thompsett wrote. "Some
are deeply shaped in mutual ministry by those with whom they serve.
Some are called out to witness biblically and prophetically, following
the Apostle Paul's missionary methods and appreciation of diverse gifts
within each and every community. And some frankly are just born with a
taste for companionship. Jim Kelsey, you are a bit of all of these
paths to baptismal ministry, and much more."
Kelsey is survived by his wife, Mary, and three grown children.
So, the other day I was out in the yard and noticed a new flower. It got me to thinking. Transformation. The colors exploded in front of me and all I could think about was just yesterday - this thing was green and closed. Today - it is wild and open, vibrant and bringing joy. When will it die? I don't know. I do know that it will, but such is the cycle of life. Enjoy it while it is here.
