A PRIZE IN MY HEART
CYRIL KELLY
Stephen Clements
ISBN 9781923568259
Publication Date: March 2026
Paperback, 400 pages, $44
The story of CYRIL KELLY has waited too long to be told. In this richly researched and deeply personal account, architect Stephen Clements brings to light the life and legacy of a prolific designer whose work shaped the Catholic landscape of twentieth-century southern Australia.
Set against the intertwined histories of Church and society, this book traces Kelly’s journey from his formative influences, his father, William John Kelly, educator George King and mentor Jack Hennessy, to a distinguished career designing churches, schools and institutions across Victoria. From the jewel-like St Patrick’s College Chapel in Ballarat to the commanding Corpus Christi Seminary in Glen Waverley, Kelly’s buildings reveal a mind attuned to Romanesque form, institutional gravitas and the practical realities of clerical patronage.
Though often overlooked beside more celebrated contemporaries, Kelly emerges here as a figure of prodigious energy, firm conviction and enduring faith. Through archival discovery and thoughtful reflection, Clements restores to view an architect whose contribution to Australia’s built and spiritual heritage deserves renewed recognition.
STEPHEN CLEMENTS graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Melbourne in 1974, specialising in design and architectural history. He worked with the Victorian Public Works Department before establishing a private practice in 1985 focused on residential and education projects. His career intersected with the buildings of Cyril Kelly, from PWD work at the Victorian Police Academy (the former Corpus Christi) to alterations at St Joseph’s Chelsea. And a long association with the choir of St Francis’ church, Lonsdale Street, brought him into contact with Kelly’s various works there.
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