Msgr. James Kelly, the 87-year-old pastor emeritus of St. Brigid’s Parish in Bushwick, Brooklyn, got some long overdue attention in 2025. In May, Saint John’s University conferred an honorary degree on him and the Great Irish Fair named him as their Fr. Mychal Judge Award recipient; meanwhile, the New York Times did a feature article on the Adare, Co. Limerick-born priest. RTE and the Tablet have also covered Msrg. Kelly, who has served the people of Bushwick for an amazing 65 years.
Kelly’s biography is intertwined with Bushwick’s turbulent history. When Msgr. Kelly arrived in Bushwick in 1960 the area was vastly different. Bushwick was middle class and 90 percent Caucasian. St. Brigid’s parish was mostly German with some Sicilians. Kelly was assigned to the parish in part because of his fluency in the Italian and German languages. White flight, however, would totally transform the area in the late 1960s and ‘70s into an enclave of African Americans and Hispanics.
Monsignor Kelly became pastor of St. Brigid’s in 1977, the same year Bushwick made national headlines when a power blackout led to widespread looting of the area’s retailers. Arson soon became a common occurrence after the blackout, and the area became one of the most dangerous areas in the city, where gang violence and drug use became common. Kelly was even attacked inside his rectory by a robber whose punches left Msgr. Kelly with two facial fractures and his right eye swollen shut. ''I looked like I was in Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ,''' Monsignor Kelly said. ''I was bloody all over.''
Limerick native Msgr. James Kelly qualified as a lawyer so he could better assist the foreign-born residents of Brooklyn.
The neighborhood today is home to Brooklyn's largest Hispanic community and includes residents from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Ecuador. Monsignor Kelly learned Spanish and has become something of a celebrity in the area. Poverty is still common in Bushwick and Kelly’s ministry has been heavily involved with social justice for the underprivileged. Patrick Farrelly, a documentary filmmaker who has known him since the 1980's called Msgr. Kelly, “the padre of the poor.”
Kelly’s work has extended beyond the walls of the church. He set up District 3 Immigration Services to help Bushwick’s massive immigrant population. Msgr. Kelly supported immigrants, often accompanying them to their court hearings for citizenship. He noted, however, that advocating for the immigrants without a law degree was a challenge. “Once you had your law degree, you could say whatever you like,” Msgr. Kelly said. “But without a law degree, the judge wouldn’t even listen to you.”
The priest earned his law degree from St. John’s in 1980, which enabled him to go to court and represent immigrants, largely pro bono clients. He has helped tens of thousands of people become legal residents of the United States. Though he has retired from his parish and no longer represents clients in court, Msgr. Kelly is still in his office six days a week. After the recent New York Times piece, many of the clients he helped contacted him and some sent donations. Some have become successful in medicine or law.
The monsignor notices a completely different climate for undocumented immigrants today. In his 65 years in the job, Kelly said this is the worst atmosphere he had known for undocumented immigrants. “When the Italians came in 1968, they were very benign to them," he said, "because they were victims of an earthquake.” It was easy to adjust their status he said, as it was with the undocumented Irish. Some of the judges who judged Kelly’s cases had Irish surnames and were sympathetic to the plight of undocumented people.
Kelly works only with clients whose cases are likely to be approved, to avoid giving false hope. He said his office can charge less because he takes no salary, and his workers are not paid “top dollar,” and could make more money elsewhere. His office sees between 50 to 100 clients daily. Kelly noted that many of his clients live in fear of deportation.
Msgr. Kelly, an Irish speaker and former hurler, said he expects to continue helping people as long as he can. “If I’m alive,” he said with a chuckle, “I’m here.” Kelly has established a team to help him in his work. His 26-year-old assistant is Princess Reinoso, an Ecuadorian-American whose parents Kelly helped to legalize their stay in the United States. Kelly praised Reinoso as “someone with an excellent legal mind.” The team members believe they will have plenty of work in the coming years. Team member Richard Reinoso, Princess’s brother, hopes to become a lawyer and continue Msgr. Kelly’s legacy. “He’s been doing this for as long as anyone can remember, and he has been doing it for the entire community,” Richard said. “I was born here, but I still understand how important it is to know our privileges, to check our rights, and then make sure that we give everybody the same opportunity for life, liberty, and happiness.”
When asked what the future held in store for undocumented immigrants Kelly replied, "Only God knows. God," he said, "and Mr. Trump.”
