Fr James Laurence Skelly - priest, communicator, artist - who died on July 5th aged 69, was buried last Saturday at Ardglass, Co Down, following requiem Mass in St Colmcille's Church, Upper Newtowards Road, Belfast. A congregation of all sorts and conditions of men and women filled the church - priests, fishermen, bishops, broadcasters, former students, "public faces", private friends and family - brought together by a common bond of affection for a remarkable and lovable man.
His father, Robert Skelly, served in the Department of Posts & Telegraphs in his native Dublin, where he and his nine siblings were born. His mother, Mary Close, of Belfast, provided a strong link with the North. And so, having taken a degree in Queen's University, Belfast, and studied for the ministry in Maynooth, Jim Skelly was ordained for the diocese of Down and Connor (an uncle, Canon James Close, was there), and his first curacies were in Bangor, Dunsford (Ardglass) and finally Coleraine, where in 1968 he became the first Catholic chaplain in the "New" University of Ulster.
It was an inspired appointment. He came among a generation of young men and women of varied Christian upbringing, many of whom might be expected to have brought with them little more than the sad prejudices of their traditions. But this was 1968, a year of change, even of revolution, from California to Paris to Prague, and young people everywhere were affected. On the new Irish campus, Jim Skelly's was a strong if gentle voice, "articulating faith in a time of turmoil", a voice that was joined with those of his fellow chaplains in a vivid microcosm of Christian leadership.
And fellowship: when the Catholic diocese established Cromore House (on the outskirts of Coleraine) as a chaplaincy centre, he ensured that it became a home from home for young men and women from all "airts and parts", in an ethnic and religious mix which might be a beacon of light and hope in a divided society. Then came Bloody Sunday and all the other bloody days and nights, which could not fail to leave a destructive mark on the most positive efforts. But all was by no means lost. As well as his chaplaincy work, he was a lecturer in religious education, and, in happy collaboration with the head of his department, the Rev John Greer, provided a valuable contribution to the training of teachers, within the university framework - with the strong support of the authorities. In this and in much else, he set to lay foundations for a Christian intellectual life, whose longterm effects on northern society can only be guessed at.
And then in December 1975, Jim Skelly's gifts of outreach were given fresh, wider territory for action, when he accepted an invitation to join the religious programmes department in BBC Belfast, then headed by the very able and forward-looking Presbyterian, Rev Moore Wasson. He very soon earned the regard of colleagues at all levels and in all areas of broadcasting, socially as well as professionally - there are stories of convivial evenings in Sandy Row where the priest was an honoured and welcome guest. And his outstanding professional qualities were recognised when, on Moore Wasson's retirement, he became the obvious successor as departmental head - an appointment running counter to many of our received opinions about the North. His direct association with the BBC lasted until 1990 when, having reached the statutory age of 60, he retired.
His reputation as a programme maker ensured however that he was in much demand, not least in RTE, where he devised and directed several television features of considerable distinction, including contributions to the series Would You Believe? He had, of course, many years of experience in radio: his respect for the Word, spoken and written, was exemplary (as befitted his vocation ) and articulated with precise and imaginative impact.
Precision and imagination - qualities not always found in tandem - were in fact two of the gifts that made him a television director of special distinction. Add to these an acute sense of place and a visual awareness which brought a unique illumination to his work. Television is essentially a matter of teamwork, but the director must know what he wants and enable his team - cameramen, lighting engineers and so on - to give it to him. Jim Skelly had complete respect for technical expertise and those who practised it, and this respect was reciprocated.
He loved the North and loved Ireland - warts and all. His sense of place had a dimension which could transcend time, but he never failed to see the humanity that gave time and place their life. His lively sanity and sense of humour made him fun to be with, and his warmth for others aroused much warmth in return: and though a man of no little shyness, not to say diffidence, his capacity to "connect" could and did create community and communion. He loved as he was loved.
Fr James Skelly: born 1930; died, July 2000
