James Wade Kelly was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 2, 1 934, the second of seven children of John Andrew Kelly and Elizabeth Wade. He attended Ascension grammar school and Fenwick High School, both in Oak Park, Illinois. After graduation from high school he attended the Fournier Institute of Technology, Lemont, Illinois, for one year and then transferred to Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa, for a second year of college.

In August of 1955 he entered the Dominican novitiate at St. Peter Martyr Priory, Winona, Minnesota, where he was given the religious name Brendan. He made his first profession of vows there on August 31, 1956, and then moved to St. Thomas Aquinas Priory, River Forest, Illinois, where he pursued philosophical studies for three years, obtaining a M.A. degree in philosophy in 1959. Having made his solemn profession on August 31, 1959, he was transferred to St. Rose of Lima Priory, Dubuque, Iowa, where he did his theological studies. He was ordained a priest there on June 2, 1962.

Upon the completion of his theological studies he was assigned to the Vicariate of Nigeria where he labored for fifteen years (19 63-197 8). After a year of special studies in Gusau, he served in several mission stations - Holy Family Cathedral, Sokoto (1964 -66), St. Vincent Ferrer Church, Malumfashi (1966-67), and St. Martin de Porres Church, Katsina (1968-72). During this time, he took a year's sabbatical at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London, obtaining a master's degree. In 1972 he was transferred to the Dominican Institute in Ibadan and named Master of Students, where he was in charge of the formation of newly professed African students. In 1975 he was named Master of Novices and fulfilled this formation ministry until 1978 at which time he asked to return to the United States.

In April of 1979, soon after his return to the United States, he was elected prior of St. Pius V Priory, Chicago, Illinois. Later that year he chose to affiliate with the newly formed

Province of St. Martin de Porres, however, he was never able to serve in this province for he was elected to a second term as prior and then decided to re-affiliate with the Province of St. Albert the Great. During his time at St. Pius V Priory he served as business manager of the Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus (1979-81). He was then assigned to St. Vincent Ferrer Priory, River Forest, Illinois (1985-89) where he served in the parish as an associate pastor and in the community as subprior and procurator. He then spent a year as an associate pastor at Holy Rosary Parish, Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1990 he returned to St. Vincent Ferrer Priory and served as a chaplain at Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Elk Grove Village, Illinois. He again served the community as its procurator and then as prior from September of 1994 until his death.

In the late fall of 1997 doctors discovered that Jim had cancer of the liver, he underwent surgery and a program of chemotherapy was to follow. Because he appeared to be in reasonably good health, his death on the afternoon of January 13, 1998, came as a surprise to his family and his Dominican brothers. The funeral liturgy was celebrated at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, River Forest, Illinois, on January 16, 1997, and he was buried in the Dominican plot at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines, Illinois, on January 17, 1997.