By The Catholic Week Two retired priests of the Archdiocese of Mobile passed away in June. Fr. James Carlsen, who was most recently in residence in Gulfport, Miss., died June 2 at the age of 68. Fr. Robert Kieltyka, who was in residence in Louisiana, died June 4 at the age of 88.
Fr. Carlsen was ordained in the Archdiocese of Mobile in 2000. He served as parochial vicar at Christ the King Parish in Daphne and St. Pius X Parish in Mobile, then served as pastor of St. Michael Parish in Heron Bay from 2010-2018 and St. Philip Neri Parish in Belle Fontaine from 2011-18 before retiring.
Fr. Kieltyka was born Aug. 30, 1933, and ordained a Carmelite priest June 7, 1958 in Joliet, Illinois. He was a teacher and principal at schools in Illinois, California and Texas and eventually worked in the Mobile County Public School System before being incardinated into the Archdiocese of Mobile.
He was pastor of St. John Parish in Butler from 1997-2000 before retiring in 2000. He was in residence at St. Jude Parish from 2000-05, then at St. John the Baptist Parish in Montgomery from 2005-06 before moving to Louisiana.