KCK Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher dies at age 93 after a lifetime in ministry
As Archbishop Emeritus James “Jim” P. Keleher, 93, received the Last Rites, he looked around a room of friends and told each of them that he loved them.
Then he prayed, and gave a blessing that was meant for more than those who were present in the room that day.
“He showed by that blessing how he was a most caring shepherd of souls and a heart fashioned like that of the Good Shepherd, the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” said Fr. Richard McDonald, a close friend of Keleher.
Keleher, who served as the tenth ordinary and third archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, died of natural causes on Nov. 9 in his home at the Santa Marta Retirement Community in Olathe.
Keleher served as archbishop from Sept. 8, 1993 to Jan, 15, 2005 and remained active in local ministries until his death. McDonald said he is remembered as a man who constantly exuded joy, cared deeply for others and ministered to those who were hurting.
‘Made a huge difference in many people’s lives’
Keleher’s work in ministries around Kansas City left an impact on generations after him, McDonald said.
He led efforts in opening Prairie Star Ranch, a stretch of 291 acres of land that began as an extension of the church’s youth ministry and now hosts hundreds of retreats each year.
Keleher also opened St. James Academy Catholic High School in Lenexa. And he was the founding bishop of the Catholic Education Foundation, which offers support to families who do not have the means for their children to attend Catholic school.
He also helped found the Catholic retirement village in Olathe where he lived for a time before his death.
“He made a huge difference in many people’s lives,” McDonald said.
Keleher had many nicknames, and often went by “Archbishop Jim.”
Those who knew him at the Archdiocese said he was known to celebrate diversity and help those who had been hurt in various ways.
“He had that gift and quality of making everyone, individually, feel special, because he focused on each individual, listened to them attentively, and acted on his word to them,” McDonald said.
On a regular basis, Keleher visited prisons around the Kansas City metro to have mass, hear confessions and do other kinds of ministry, McDonald said. He also met with the incarcerated one-on-one and wrote letters to them.
McDonald said that while Keleher was studying in Rome, he would make heads turn because he was constantly smiling and greeting people.
“He was truly neighborly — a word that does not easily come to mind when describing bishops — in his greeting and his decorum,” McDonald said. “People were often shocked there by his friendliness.”
At World Youth Day in Paris, Keleher earned the moniker “Arch-Deluxe” after the hamburgers served at McDonald’s because the youth loved him so much, McDonald said.
A lifetime in ministry
Keleher was born in Chicago on July 31, 1931. He was one of two children of his parents James and Rita (Cullinane) Keleher. According to his obituary, Keleher’s father was a salesman for Will & Baumer Candle Company, which supplied parishes in the South Side of Chicago with candles. His mother immigrated from Ireland and was a nurse before becoming a homemaker.
He attended Mount Carmel High School for one year before he entered Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary. He graduated from the minor seminary in 1951 then entered the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois.
He was ordained a priest on April 12, 1958 in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at St. Mary of the Lake by Cardinal Samuel Stritch.
Fr. Keleher earned a doctorate in sacred theology at St. Mary of the Lake. He then served as chaplain for four years at the convent of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.
He went on to become an academic dean at Quigley Preparatory Seminary North for nine years. He served as an associate pastor for two years at St. Henry Paris in Chicago.
Keleher was named the academic dean and taught religion and social studies at the North Campus of Quigley Seminary.
He earned a master’s degree in educational administration from Loyola University of Chicago, then did post-doctoral work in spirituality at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Pope John Paul II appointed Keleher the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois, in 1984. He served there until 1993, when Pope John Paul II appointed him archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas on June 28, 1993.
He succeeded Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker and was installed on Sept. 8, 1993 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.
As he approached retirement age, Keleher asked Pope John Paul II for a successor for a smooth transition, his obituary said. In 2004, the pontiff appointed Bishop Joseph F. Naumann from the Archdiocese of St. Louis as coadjutor archbishop.
Keleher submitted his letter of resignation to Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 and became archbishop emeritus.
“He was the epitome of what Saint Paul the Apostle said we are to be, ‘to be all things to all people,’” McDonald said. “He was that rare individual.”
Keleher was preceded in death by his parents and sister Rita Zick. He is survived by two nephews, Steven and Robert (Kim) Zick, both of Chicago, and a niece, Dianne James, of Boston. He has five great nieces and nephews and numerous cousins in the United States and Ireland.
“He lived a life of grace in Christ, to the full,” McDonald said.
A visitation will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at Curé of Ars Church 9401 Mission Road, Leawood, Kansas, 66206, followed by the Vigil for the Deceased.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. Nov. 18 at Curé of Ars Church. Archbishop Joseph F. Nauman will be the main celebrant and Fr. William O’Mara will be the homilist. Burial will be at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Sister Servants of Mary and to Catholic Relief Services.
This story was originally published November 14, 2024 at 10:08 AM.
