Fr. David Kelly
David Kelly is a Catholic priest of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. He is the Executive Director of the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR), a restorative justice project/community in the Back-of-the-Yards/Englewood communities. He has worked for Kolbe House at Assumption, a parish-based jail ministry of the Archdiocese of Chicago, since 1985.
Catholic social teaching is built upon the conviction that every human person bears the image of God. This conviction has social, cultural, economic, and political implications; it demands that we treat all members of our society as fully human persons. Every human person has the right to be provided with the necessary resources to live with dignity, in unity and equality with all people. Responding then to addictions with treatment enables a person to live fully as a member of God’s family. Incarceration not only inhibits rehabilitation but further damages the individuals and their families.