By Ron Arena from Arena Partners
How one Eucharistic encounter led Father Matt Kelly to the priesthood.
A blanket draped across a chair stands out in Fr. Matt Kelly’s office, its woven words bearing a simple Latin phrase: Omnia enim propter vos.
Those words, from 2 Corinthians 4:15, translate to “Everything is indeed for you.”
For Fr. Kelly, they are more than decoration. They echo the heart of St. Paul’s message: a priest’s life is given for others.
“A man is ordained a priest not for himself,” Fr. Kelly says. “I can’t baptize myself. I can’t absolve myself. I can’t anoint myself. Everything given in priesthood is for the Church.” Father Matt Kelly standing in front of a stained glass window, looking away from the camera, in his vestments.
The Moment That Changed Everything
Before seminary, before the Roman collar, Matt Kelly was a professional opera singer.
He studied vocal performance at Christopher Newport University (CNU) and later pursued a master’s degree in sacred music at the University of Notre Dame.
But while performing in Europe with the CNU Chamber Choir, something happened that changed everything.
“Receiving Communion one day, it became very clear to me that Jesus is alive and actively present in the Eucharist when we receive him,” he says.
“It was a life-changing moment. I knew His love for me in a different way, and I started to see other people through the lens of that Eucharistic love.”
That moment set him on the path to serve as a priest. And one year ago, in May 2025, that path brought him to his ordination.
A Priest Formed by the People of God
Preparing for that calling takes years of formation — at a significant financial cost.
Fr. Matt Kelly holds two candles to a male parishioner’s throat, blessing his throat on the feast of Saint Blaise.
Through the Annual Diocesan Appeal, generous Catholics across the Diocese of Richmond help offset the cost of seminary education. Their generosity allows men like Fr. Kelly to focus fully on prayer, study, and the spiritual life of the Church.
“It’s a gift to receive the formation the Church gives us. The fact that our education is paid for by the very people we are serving, by the people of God, is an honor and a blessing.”
Today, Fr. Kelly, 33, serves as a parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament Church, a dynamic and diverse congregation in downtown Harrisonburg.
There he celebrates the sacraments, preaches, and prepares couples for marriage. He also teaches first-grade Sunday school and leads a Bible study and men’s group.
And while seminary couldn’t prepare him for everything the priesthood has brought his way, he is so grateful for the preparation he received.
And the words in his office remind him every day why he became a priest: Everything is for you.