Hundreds mourn Virginia priest

Bishop Paul S. Loverde consoles John Kelly following the funeral of his son, Fr. Michael C. Kelly, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Purcellville, Va. (Gretchen R. Crowe, Catholic Herald)

This week’s Arlington Catholic Herald has a story and photos from Tuesday’s funeral in Purcellville, Va., of Father Michael Kelly, the beloved pastor who died when a tree fell on him Dec. 31 while he was trying to clear another tree on a terribly windy day. The story on the priest’s death and his joyful life was spread far and wide on numerous blogs. Hundreds of mourners crowded into the small Purcellville church in Washington’s outer suburbs to pay their last respects to someone many described as a selfless priest.

‘Lemmondrops blog ends, but inspiration continues’

Emilie Lemmons

That’s the headline on a story in this week’s edition of The Catholic Spirit in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, where 40-year-old writer and mom Emilie Lemmons died on Christmas Eve of cancer. The story includes interviews with Emilie’s husband, Stephen, about the future of her inspirational blog, Lemmondrops, and with friends who reflect on what an impact her life had on them.