Description
About the book:
Vol 13/3 2026 ‘Professor Anthony (Tony) Kelly CSsR (1938–2024) made an immense and unique contribution to theology and theological education in Australia’, so begins the article written by Professor Gabrielle McMullen AM, Deputy Chancellor of the University of Divinity, in this volume of essays dedicated to the memory of the life and work of Anthony (Tony ) Kelly CSsR.
Indeed, as all of the pieces in this volume by friends and academic colleagues remark, Tony’s contribution to theology and theological education in Australia was immense, unique and spanned many decades and covered a range of institutions. The contributions are varied. It starts with the Eulogy that was given by Dr Anne Hunt at Tony’s Requiem Mass in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne. The volume also brings together contributions to honour Tony that were given at the 2025 Australian Catholic Theological Association Conference held in Melbourne at the Australian Catholic University Campus. The Conference was held in the early days of July 2025. ATF Press invited those who spoke at this session to write up what they had said on the day. Those who spoke and then have contributed to this volume are Associate Professor Michael Kelly CSsR, Professor Robyn Horner, and Professor Neil Ormerod. In addition, the volume includes a piece by Professor Gabrielle McMullen who has written on Tony’s contribution to various theological institutions in Australia, and sort out comments from others who were familiar with Tony’s work in theology in Australia. Finally, there is aa piece by Dr Ismail Albayra of the Fethullah Gülen Chair in the Study of Islam and Muslim-Catholic Relations at Australian Catholic University of his interfaith based interactions with Tony over the years.
So, how does one sum up a life of more than thirty years of theological work? All the contributors to this volume highlight different aspects of Tony’s work, but it is perhaps one by Dr Albaya which has been paraphrased for the title of the volume which summaries Tony’s work: ‘Professor Kelly, not only as a theologian and academic but also as a man of deep faith and spiritual presence, energised those present with his openness and vision.’ Tony was one who ‘energised . . . with his openness and vision’. Tony energised others through his teaching, his administration, his writings and his personal engagement. It was energising because there was an openness and vision, of entertaining and developing new ideas, schools of thought, horizons and ideas. It was a broad canvas within theology, but also a love of reading and the writing of poetry and a love of the arts.
About the editor
Hilary D Regan has been the Publisher of ATF Press Publishing Group for over 30 years and is editor of various of the ATF Press journals and books. He has a background in Systematic Theology.
