Br. James Kell

Brother James Patrick Kell was born August 17, 1930 in Centralia, Illinois. He was the son of Thomas P. Kell and Dollie Hay Kell, both of Illinois. He had a brother and three sisters, one of them his twin sister. He went to elementary and high school in the Centralia, Illinois, public schools, graduating from high school in 1948. From 1948 to January of 1951 he attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois. In March of 1951 he joined the US Air Force. While in the Air Force he converted to the Catholic Church and was baptized in July of 1953. When he completed his Air Force service, he chose to continue his undergraduate education at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, earning a bachelor's degree at the end of the 1954-1955 academic year. It was at St. Edward's that he met the Brothers of Holy Cross. Brother James entered the Brothers of Holy Cross as a candidate at Sacred Heart College in Watertown, Wisconsin in June of 1955. He entered St. Joseph Novitiate in Rolling Prairie, Indiana on August 15, 1955, and made his first profession of vows there a year later on August 16, 1956. He pronounced his perpetual vows at Sacred Heart Church on the University of Notre Dame campus on August 16, 1959. Brother James was an avid reader and constantly kept himself updated through courses and workshops. He earned a master's degree in 1960 from the University of Notre Dame and a master in library science in 1979 from Rosary College in River Forest, Illinois. Brother James was a highly effective teacher in a variety of locations. He taught social studies and philosophy at St. Joseph High School in South Bend, Indiana; Archbishop Curley High School in Miami, Florida; St. Edward's High School in Austin, Texas; Notre Dame International School in Rome, Italy; Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward, California; and St. Anthony High School in Long Beach, California. From time to time, he taught college level government courses at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, in the summer months. He prepared himself to serve as a young adult librarian, but before he could begin this work he was chosen to be the Assistant Provincial of the South-West Province of the Brothers of Holy Cross in 1979. In 1988 he returned to education as a general counselor (working especially with athletes) and career educator at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. He also began offering career and life planning counseling through St. Ignatius Parish in Austin. At the same time he began working with Richard Nelson Bolles, author of "What Color is Your Parachute." He also regularly gave conferences to student leaders in secondary schools associated with the Congregation of Holy Cross. Over the years, Brother James had a profound and lasting impact on the lives of many people of all ages. He passed away peacefully on April 12, 2010. Both a memorial service and funeral Mass have been scheduled for Friday, April 16, 2010, in Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel on the campus of St. Edward's University. The memorial will begin at 2:00 pm and will be immediately followed by the funeral Mass. Interment will take place privately at a later time at Assumption Cemetery.