James Arthur Kelsey (August 28, 1952 – June 3, 2007) was the tenth

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

Diocese of Northern Michigan, based in Marquette.

Biography

Kelsey, whose twin brother, the Reverend Stephen Kelsey, is a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, was born and reared in

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and received degrees from

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and go ...

and

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

. He was ordained a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in 1977 and a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in 1978 by Bishop

Robert S. Kerr Robert Samuel Kerr (September 11, 1896 – January 1, 1963) was an American businessman and politician from Oklahoma. Kerr formed a petroleum company before turning to politics. He served as the 12th governor of Oklahoma from 1943 to 1947 and wa ...

of the

Diocese of Vermont The Episcopal Diocese of Vermont is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the state of Vermont. It was the first diocese in the Episcopal Church to elect a woman, Mary Adelia Rosamond McLeod, as diocesan bishop. ...

. A proponent of

Total Ministry Total Ministry, also sometimes called Local Shared Ministry, Ministering Communities in Mission, Mutual Ministry, or Circular Ministry, is a style of Christian ministry which empowers laity to take on roles traditionally given to parish priests, ...

, he served from 1985 to 1989 as canon missioner for cluster ministries in the

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, then served for 10 years as ministry development coordinator in Northern Michigan before being elected bishop in 1999. He was married and had three grown children. Kelsey was consecrated July 24, 1999, at St. Michael Roman Catholic Church, Marquette. The chief consecrator to the office of bishop was Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold. His consecrators included his predecessor as bishop of Northern Michigan,

Thomas K. Ray Thomas Kreider "Tom" Ray (May 24, 1934 - February 6, 2018) was the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan. Early life and education Ray was born on May 24, 1934, in Barberton, Ohio. He studied at the University of Michigan, wh ...

, Edward L. Lee of Western Michigan, R. Stewart Wood of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, and Edwin M. Leidel of Eastern Michigan. Kelsey was the 948th bishop in the Episcopal succession.

Death

Kelsey died in a car accident while returning home from a parish visitation. Jim Kelsey's funeral service on June 9, 2007, drew more than 600 friends and colleagues in ministry. "There is no one to step in and replace Jim. It is a loss we cannot replace," said Tom Ray, who preceded Kelsey as Northern Michigan's diocesan bishop. Recounting the feeling in the room when the Standing Committee and the Core Team met one day after Kelsey died, Ray said, "this must be how the disciples felt after Jesus' crucifixion."

References

External links

Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan

Web site of the Episcopal Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelsey, James Arthur 1952 births 2007 deaths People from Marquette, Michigan Road incident deaths in Michigan 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Northern Michigan 20th-century American clergy