This is my personal
tribute to Rev Dr Michael Bernard Kelly , my friend Michael Kelly who left this
world last Saturday
I wrote to him last week saying
T hank you for being the person who enlightened me - made
me realize I could be fully gay and fully spiritual and allowed me to draw on
my Catholic heritage with pride. You gave me the words and concepts and
confidence to express what I felt.
Michael was also a believer in the value of my art with all
if its ambitions and flaws – he was MC at my Scarlatta exhibition at the Convent in 2017
and went on to lead a ritual of cleansing in the convent cloister and we were
working this year on a project to represent visually the ideas of his landmark
erotic contemplative series . Michael also introduced me to the community of
Easton Mountain his home base during frequent stays lecturing and giving
retreats in the USA
Michael lived a life where he believed in the Incarnation,
the Word made Flesh. There were aspects of Michael that were truly
saintly. While he tried to engage his
nemesis Archbishop George Pell in conversation through the Rainbow Sash
movement and was rebuffed, he never once responded with any enjoyment or sense
of vindication when I would gleefully describe to him another step in the
cardinal’s trial and imprisonment. On the fleshy side he was also open to talk
about the joys of gay sex and appreciated a handsome and compassionate man as
much as any gay man!
Earlier this year Michael showed me the grave site at the
Sorrento cemetery where he will be shortly buried. He chose a grave outside the denominational
section of the Cemetery, in the company of other outcasts. I said to him “Mike well chosen it will make a lovely
site to visit in 100 years when the Catholic church repents of its treatment of
its gay members and you are an official LGBTIQ saint!”
He allowed himself a
modest smile. Recognition of his seminal role in forming a bridge between the
Christian and queer worlds will only increase over the years
Here is a quote from Bernard of Clairvaux
“With my mouth I touch
and worship Thee, With all the strength I have I cling to Thee, With all my
love I plunge my heart in Thee, My very life-blood would I draw from Thee,
Jesus, Jesus I draw me into Thee.”
Thank you, Michael, for revealing what has been hidden in
plain sight, may you enjoy the embrace of your resurrected lover. I am working on a book “Ecce Homo
Corona” of images done over the last few months. I wish I had the opportunity
to collaborate more closely with Michael but there are several images directly
inspired by the Erotic Contemplative ethos.
l dedicate the book to you Michael, Friend, Father , Mentor
, Intellectual, Spiritual Director Brother.
I will keep you in my heart forever..
Michael's service was held on a wet Monday morning - Michael had chosen a very humble postion at the outcasts section of the cemetery but recieved an upgrade of biblical dimensions when bones were discovered in his first choice grave.
Due to Covid 19 restrictions it was not possible to celebrate a requiem mass in a Church so the entire service was held grave side. In Australia we have a tradition of DIY ( Do It Yourslf ) and we realized quickly that the Kelly family are really good at this.
Michael was wrapped in white and laid out in an open wicker basket. He was escorted to the graveside by family members and friends from the Rainbow Sash movement . The rainbow flag was draped over the altar and the formalities began with a welcome by Michael's sister Noelene. Mike was very clear that he wanted the ritual to be planned and led by the family - with Noelene taking a key role.
Mother Irene Wilsom from the Emmaus Community, Father Barry Moran and Father John Rolley from the Old Catholics Church assisted the family. Readings and speeches are described in the attached program
Our Farewell Ritual
Our Farewell Ritual
for our brother and friend, Michael Kelly
Michael Bernard Kelly
Born 27 July 1954
Born deeper into Mystery 14 November 2020
This is a very special day for us. The way we farewell Michael today expresses much of the way he lived. You are part of that. This celebration is also our gift to our brother, our mentor, our lover, our spokesperson, our priest, teacher, our friend. Please join us in making it beautiful and worthy of him.
Procession
Michael’s body will be brought in procession to the graveside by family and friends.
Song: Be Thou My Vision
1 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art--
thou my best thought by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
2 Be thou my wisdom, thou my true word;
I ever with thee thou with me, Lord;
thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
3 Be thou my battle shield, sword for the fight;
be thou my dignity, thou my delight,
thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tow-er:
raise thou me heav’n-ward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.
4 Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
thou mine inheritance, now and alway:
thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.
5 High King of heaven, after victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all
6 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art--
thou my best thought by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country: Noelene
Introduction
Michael’s sister Maureen will share some introductory reflections and invite Bob Hinkley to call us to gather in the spirit of friendship Mike shared with us all.
Sharing of the Word
Friends and family will share scripture readings that speak to them of Michael - his life, his work, his many gifts - offered so courageously and elegantly to the world.
First Reading John 10:9-10: Terry Walshe
I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: they will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
Second Reading Ephesians 3:14-19: Rose Marie Prosser
This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before our Creator, from whom every family, whether spiritual or natural, takes its name:
Out of infinite glory, may you be given the power, through God’s Spirit, for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.
Musical Interlude: Ashokan Farewell
Third Reading Song of Songs 2:10-13, 16a: Will Day
My beloved lifts up his voice, he says to me, ‘Come then, my love, my lovely one, come. For see, winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth. The season of glad songs has come,
the cooing of turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree is forming its first figs and the blossoming vines give out their fragrance. Come then, my love, my lovely one, come. My Beloved is mine, and I am his.
Fouth Reading Psalm 40: 8,10-11: Noelene Kelly
‘Here I am! I am ready!’
I have never kept your righteousness to myself, but have spoken of your faithfulness and saving help; I have made no secret of your love and faithfulness in the Great Assembly.
Prayers of the Community: Peter
Eucharist
Bread broken and shared
The sharing of eucharist was central to Michael’s life. We learn again the depths of ‘presence’ and ‘sacrament’ as we share this bread with one another and, in new ways, with him - and with all our ancestors in faith.
Barry Moran of the Catholic tradition, John Rolley of the Old Catholic tradition, and Irene Wilson who, with John and Michael, led the Emmaus Community at Abbotsford Convent, will lead us in this sharing of the consecrated bread of eucharist.
Distribution of Communion: We invite all to share this sacrament with us. Please wait until all have received so that we can eat eucharist together.
Song: Breathe on me Breath of God
1 O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love the things you love,
and do what you would do.
2 O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until my will is one with yours,
to do and to endure.
3 O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
My will to yours incline
until this selfish part of me
glows with your fire divine.
4 O Breathe on me, O Breath of God,
so I shall never die
but live with you the perfect life
for all eternity.
Prayer after Communion
Prayer of Commendation and Farewell
Barry
With faith in Life, we reverently bring the body of our brother to be buried in its human imperfection.
We give thanks for the man we have known and loved in this human vessel of clay.
We now give it back to the Earth. Michael needs it no more. We reverence it for the love we have known through it.
Water
Jo and Maria will bless Michael’s body with water. All life on this planet is nourished by the gift of water. Jesus used it powerfully as a symbol of Life and renewal, of healing and transformation.
Incense
Peter will now give Michael a good dose of incense. All that exists is holy. This body - Michael’s body - is holy and worthy of honour. We have known so much and been given much through this body. We reverence it as we prepare to lay it down.
Barry:
Michael, we are with you, and today, with joy and with sorrow, we send you on your way with a loving farewell.
The journey that began 66 years ago in Middle Park reaches its fulfillment today as you pass into the arms of love and transformation.
We call on all those who have gone before us, on the whole community of Life, to welcome you - fully and joyfully - into the ‘mysterious cosmic dance’.
All: Go forward now, Christian soul!
May the angels lead you into paradise.
May the martyrs come to welcome you.
May all the saints lead you, with rejoicing into the holy city where we will meet one day in the presence of our God.
Committal (As Michael’s body is being lowered)
Barry
Having known and loved Michael, we come now to give his body back to the Earth.
Michael, into the dark warmth of the Earth
ALL We lay you down
Into the arms of your ancestors
ALL We lay you down
Into the great cycle of living and dying and rising again All We lay you down
May the Earth cover and protect this treasure which we now place in her care.
ALL May the God of Life gather you into fullness and joy.
We give thanks for the depth of life and love we have shared with Michael. We give thanks for how we have been changed because of him. May we carry his legacy forward.
May we continue to speak his name.
ALL Amen
Noelene: Invitation to fill Michael’s grave.
Thank you for sharing this day with us and for making this such a rich and personal celebration of Michael’s life.
Michael said many times that, as a gesture of thanks for all the personal and practical support he received throughout his illness, he wanted to shout us all lunch at a ‘tasteful’ Sorrento venue.
Please join us on the West Deck of
The Baths Cafe/Restaurant at 1pm
to share food and drink and memories. See you there!
Michael was to me
always a friar minor in his concern for the disenfranchised, the abandoned, the sick,
the misunderstood, the persecuted. He was their champion. This concern extended to the earth in deep appreciation for our home. Kevin ofm
‘O captain, my captain’. Mick was our ‘Dead Poets Society’ teacher …..and later, our ‘gay Gandhi’. Anthony
The Lord brought
people into his life like a flock. We were so hugely varied but
united in our friendship with Michael. Kevin
I love the memory of having you in my home in Jerusalem for that Advent gathering. I remember looking around at the room and realizing there were almost more non-straight people there than straight people, but that none of them knew about each other. They had told me alone, because they knew I was “safe”. Just like you were safe for me. Carrie
He was truly a
gift from God who showed so many a way to have a truly deeper relationship with the Creator. I
will always treasure my fraternal
relationship with Michael. Dennis
He was a great blessing in my life. If there is any consolation in his death, it is in the fact that his work will continue to inspire, guide, and console so many for years to come. Bryan
I am joyful that Michael’s decades of faithfulness and audacity are soon to be rewarded in the peace that
passeth all understanding. Shalom, good friend, and Godspeed. Jay
I remember
Michael at my wedding with
Tom. After the readings and being interviewed by RTE television, he has his tie off and is in great form on the dance floor. Brendan
Some Thoughts about Michael Kelly.
As our queer Godfather North American poet
and mystic Walt Whitman reminded us: We contain multitudes...and Michael, like
most of us has many aspects. I'd like to say a little about a couple of those
which I greatly appreciate.
We first met at a cafe by the sea in Elwood
about 25 years ago, one of many meetings in cafes overlooking Michael's beloved
Port Phillip Bay. As we parted he said 'Lets stay in touch, its always good to
meet another contemplative.'
I wasn't sure that I identified with that
label but Michael knew he had a contemplative heart. Although he had his
insecurities and doubts Michael had a confidence, a pride and dignity about who
he was, about his calling, and his mission.
And he extended this dignity, pride and confidence to include
his queer community: he insisted we be respected, and he was indignant at any
affront to us.
He was, and is, in so many ways our
champion. And I believe that conviction, that self belief and belief in his community was anchored
in his contemplative heart.
Part of Michael's consciousness, it seemed
to me, was abiding in, being nourished and energised by very deep pools... ...all those hours spent wandering the lonely
coastal beaches, times alone in prayer and reflection (and at times great
struggle), countless hours sitting by himself in a cafe, sipping coffee and quietly gazing out at the waters of the
Bay...
In that little contemplative classic 'The
Cloud of Unknowing' the author tells us to 'Leave my contemplatives alone.
Leave them to their sitting, resting and enjoying, you don't know what is
happening to them.”
*
One of the precious things about Michael
was that he both abided in those depths and worked deeply in our ordinary
world.
I'd like to mention a couple of small but
telling examples of Michael's deep work,
but also of the great, mysterious Love that lies at the heart of our lives,
that Michael was inspired by, and that dances up through us and out into the
world.
*I found it very moving to hear my dear old
friend Tricia describe Michael's visit to her elderly mother's hospital bed.
Tricia's mother had lived a very long and
good life but was agitated and anxious as she approached death, and her family,
gathered around her in the hospital were also anxious.
Most of the family had never met Michael.
Tricia describes how Michael entered the
room, sat beside her dying mother, took her hand, and together they began
praying the rosary. Tricia told me that everyone settled and her mother relaxed
into a deep peace. When it was time for Michael
to leave she didn't want to let go of his hand.
After Michael had left, Tricia's brother
who she describes as a 'bah humbug athiest', turned to her, amazed, saying;
“Who was that guy?!!”
I'm reminded of the first line of the prayer of Michael's beloved Francis of
Assisi; 'Make me an instrument of your peace.'
*About 10 years ago I was at a Radical
Faeries gathering at the Abbotsford Convent where I got talking with a chap, a
gay man. I asked him if he had read the
book 'Seduced By Grace' by Michael Kelly. There was a pause after which he
said; “Yesterday morning I was sitting in a cafe reading that book, and
weeping.'
I wonder how many people, and how many gay
men, have been deeply moved or brought
to tears by Michael's writing, his workshops, his liturgies or conversations?
Those tears, as far as I can see, are
holy tears; tears of cleansing, of
healing, of bringing in the new, of reclaiming life.
Michael's work reverberates and ripples out
and I believe it will continue to do so.
*In 2009 the World Parliament of Religions
met in Melbourne, over 6000 people attended and
hundreds of talks and events were
offered, centred around the Exhibition Centre in Southbank.
Michael saw an early draft of the program
and at that time there were no LGBTI events offered. Michael immediately went
to work to address what to him was a completely disrespectful omission.
On a cloudy Saturday morning Michael,
myself and two others sat in a reasonably sized room preparing the session. I
thought perhaps a handful of people would show up; it was a Saturday, the venue
was very busy with about 30 other sessions scheduled at the same time as ours.
But our session was packed and very lively,
with people standing at the back. We heard story after story of grief and hurt
but the room was filled with joy and a kind of bubbling delight because we had
gathered together, scores of queer folk from all over the world, acknowledging
and sharing our religious and spiritual stories.
Conversations were had, connections were
made, the channels of healing and change were enlivened and a whole new set of
reverberations were set in motion. Thanks to Michael Kelly.
How often over the past 30 years has a
version of this pattern been repeated: Michael's seed, once planted, sprouts
and flourishes thereby enabling other seeds
to be planted, to sprout and to grow.
*
Michael died last Saturday morning and I
heard the news on the Sunday afternoon but when I sat to meditate on Saturday
evening, and began to include Michael in my prayers, as so many of us have been
doing over the months, I was surprised by the sense of an open, clear, clean space and the definite
impression that this man did not need my prayers, that he was completely ok.
The same thing happened on the Sunday morning. When I heard on Sunday afternoon
that Michael had died it all made sense.
So in the spirit of that experience, and in
acknowledgment of Michaels request, his insistence, that we ought embrace and
celebrate beautiful gritty eros in both its earthiness and its Divinity, I
would like to close with these lines of joyous arrival, of love and Springtime
from the Song of Solomon:
My beloved spoke, and said unto me,
rise
up my love, my fair one, and come
away.
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
the flowers appear on the earth;
and the time of the singing of birds is
come. Alleluia.
And the voice of the turtle is heard in
our land;
the fig tree putteth forth her green figs,
and the vines with the tender grape give
a good smell.
Arise my love, my fair one, and come
away.
My beloved is
mine, and I am his. Alleluia
I already miss Michael, and yet he is still
here.
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