Kelly is a bilingual author, therapist, storyteller, speaker and gifted musician. His audiences have claimed him as their passionate healer, a gentle giant and an insightful and wise teacher who is a lot of fun.
An international university education and more than twenty years a a Dominican Friar have shaped Kelly's life. Following his undergraduate years at the University of Western Ontario and l'Université de Montréal, Kelly continued with post graduate studies for ten years at the Faculté Dominicaine de théologie, Ottawa; the Aquinas Institute of Theology and the University of Dubuque, Dubuque Iowa; the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana; Convento San Marco, Florence, Italy; and with Ivan Illich in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
In 1981, Kelly left the Dominican Order and continued to share his gifts in new ways. Twelve years as a therapist coupled with his philosophical and theological background serve as a backdrop to his presentations, which are always rich and current. Due to that spirit, he is invited to speak and perform throughout North America to audiences as varied as police, funeral services, financial and government institutions, medical and legal teams, clergy and artistic communities.
Three books have flowed from his life experiences. In 1995, he wrote Loss of Soul: Burnout, a national best seller, now in its second edition. In 2000, it was followed by Dancing on the Ark: facing change in uncertain times (what every Noah ought to know). His latest work, Growing Somewhere: living life after mid-life, reaches out with hope to his contemporaries.
After leaving the Priory, Kelly toured extensively with the renowned Irish singer-harpist Mary O'Hara. As a solo performer he has played to packed houses. He is often seen on stage these days with Mark DuBois, tenor, Susan Cooper, mezzo soprano, Dini Petty, Billy Newton-Davis and Eric Nagler as they pull their hearts and talents together to create shows for all sorts of charities.