News Release: On the Death of Frank Kelley, 96, Former Attorney General of Michigan

(Lansing, Mich.) — Upon learning of the death of Mr. Frank Kelley, 96, Attorney General of the State of Michigan from 1961 to 1999, Michigan Catholic Conference released the following reflections from its current and former chief executive officers:

“Mr. Kelley was a great man who had a deep and abiding faith,” said MCC President and CEO Paul Long. “That faith guided him every day he served the people of Michigan. Mr. Kelley was a practical and prudent politician and public servant who lived his Catholic faith in his work to advance the common good. He was a model of faith in action, having established a level of professionalism to which many others can only aspire. May God rest his noble soul.”

“Frank Kelley’s life is a panoply of ideas and events that invite talk, thought, reflection, and laughter,” said Sister Monica Kostielney, RSM who joined Michigan Catholic Conference in 1972 and served as its president and CEO from 1983–2010.

“His life, as Michigan’s Attorney General, defined leadership in law and service to the people during his long and steady commitment to social justice as an integral value for society, not a trend; he personified compassion with respect and ecumenism that was universal. Frank Kelley was a wise man with deep and ancient values. He blended keen political wisdom with a common touch that was never aristocratic.”

On 2 December 1998, prior to leaving office, Mr. Kelley was honored by the Michigan Catholic Conference Board of Directors. Cardinal Adam Maida, then chairman of the MCC Board, presented Mr. Kelley with a gift of an original painting by artist Pat McCarthy. Mr. Kelley then offered remarks on themes from Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical letter that focused on the rights and duties of capital and workers.

The family of Mr. Kelley has indicated that a memorial service will be announced at a later date.

Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.

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