director

Kenneth France-Kelly was born on June 22, 1943, in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated, in 1966, from Marist College. Three years later, he received his Master of Arts Degree in Counseling and Guidance from The Catholic University of America. He taught in the District of Columbia Public School System, from 1968-1975, on the high school level. Thereafter, he entered the Order of Preachers. At the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, he earned a Master of Divinity in 1980, and was ordained to the priesthood the following year.

Father France-Kelly was first assigned to parochial ministry at Saint Dominic Church in Youngstown, Ohio. He returned to the Dominican House of Studies for the 1983-1984 academic year, however, for complementary studies in Sacred Scripture and Marriage Theology and Canon Law. He then returned to parochial ministry at Saint Dominic's in Youngstown.

Eventually, his apostolate took him as far as Kenya, East Africa, where from 1985-1987, he worked as a seminary professor and chaplain to cloistered nuns. Upon his return to the United States, he served for a year in parochial ministry at Saint Vincent Ferrer Church in New York City. From 1988-1993, Ken France-Kelly, O.P. was Director of Fund Raising for the Province of Saint Joseph with offices in New York City. He returned to parochial ministry in 1993, at Saint Patrick Church in Columbus, Ohio, and in 1995, was appointed to be the pastor of the parish and superior of the Dominican community there. Since 1999, Father has been the Director of The Rosary Shrine of Saint Jude in Washington, DC. During his more than twenty years of priestly ministry, in addition to his regular assigned duties, he has preached numerous Novenas, Parish Missions, Workshops, Retreats and Days of Recollection.