A funeral Mass for Father Charles Shelby, CM, was celebrated Aug. 14 at Church of the Assumption at St. Mary’s of the Barrens in Perryville. Father Shelby died Aug. 6 at the Apostle of Charity Residence on the campus of St. Mary’s of the Barrens at the age of 85.
Born in Los Angeles to Ruth Russell and Peter P. Shelby, both of whom preceded him in death, he entered the novitiate in September 1962 at St. Mary’s of the Barrens and was ordained a priest in 1968 at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Los Angeles.
With degrees in philosophy, divinity and physics, he taught and served as an administrator at seminaries in Montebello, California, and Perryville before a 25-year span at the Association of the Miraculous Medal in Perryville, during which he served as associate director, director and president. He was also treasurer and assistant superior for the Midwest Province in 2002 and 2003.
From 2005 to 2016, he was vice chancellor at DePaul University in Chicago, and he also served as superior at the DePaul Vincentian Residence in Chicago from 2012 to 2015, prior to which he was assistant superior for seven years. He was also associate spiritual advisor for the Association of the Miraculous Medal from 2012 to 2019 and moved to St. Mary’s of the Barrens in 2016. He was active there in the Vincentian prayer ministry, Apostles of Prayer.
Burial was in the community cemetery in Perryville.
