Patrick E. Kelly is the fourteenth and current

Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus (more simply referred to as the Supreme Knight) is the title of the chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Knights of Columbus. The organization comprises approximately 1.9 mi ...

. He was the founding executive director of the

Saint John Paul II National Shrine The Saint John Paul II National Shrine is a national shrine in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. It is a place of prayer for Catholics and welcomes people of all faiths. The Shrine houses a permanent exhibit called ''A Gift o ...

in Washington, D.C. In February 2021, he was elected by the board of directors to succeed

Carl A. Anderson Carl Albert Anderson (born February 27, 1951) is an American lawyer who served as the thirteenth Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from October 2000 until his retirement in February 2021. Anderson is the vice president of the Washi ...

as the

. His term started on March 1, 2021 and he was formally installed on June 11, 2021.

Early career

Kelly was a captain in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps Reserve. He specialized in international and operational law, and retired in 2016 after 24 years of service. He also served as the Commanding Officer of the international law unit at the United States Naval War College. He serves on the Council of Advisers at the Center for the Study of Statesmanship at

Catholic University Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical univ ...

. In other roles, Kelly worked as Legislative Counsel to the

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), also known as the House Intelligence Committee, is a United States congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by ...

in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, and the Department of Justice. He was also the Senior Advisor to the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom at the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

. In this position, he was the State Department's primary contact with the

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and other nations on matters of religious freedom. As of 2012, he was the chairman of the March for Life Education & Defense Fund.

Leadership of the Knights of Columbus

Kelly is a Past State Deputy of the District of Columbia and was elected to the board of directors in 2013. He became Deputy Supreme Knight on January 1, 2017. In 2006 he became the Order's vice president for Public Policy, and served as the executive director of the

in Washington, D.C., which is owned and operated by the Knights, from 2011 to 2020. He has been a Knight since 1983. Kelly was formally installed as the 14th Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus on June 11, 2021.

Dobbs decision overturning Roe

In the wake of the ''

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'', , is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion. The court's decision overruled both ''R ...

'' decision in 2022, Kelly said, "In a post-Roe world, the Knights will continue to be there for mothers and their children, and we will continue to proclaim the dignity of every human life.”" Kelly also said, "Roe v. Wade is finally gone. We now have a chance to win the fight for life...by ending Roe, the court has empowered us to end one of the worst injustices in American history. Roe is overturned, but we have more work to do. We will continue to march for life until abortion is unthinkable." He suggested that the Knights would continue to be politically active with respect to abortion: "Each state has a choice to make. At least half will protect life to some degree. But others will keep the abortion status quo. And some states will even expand abortion, putting mothers and children in greater danger." Kelly expressed support for a program started by the Knights in 2019 to donate ultrasound machines to pregnancy centers. The 1,500th machine was donated in January 2022. The national council pays half of the cost of each machine, while local chapters pay the other half.

Evangelization

In his first speech to the Knights' annual gathering after becoming its Supreme Knight, Kelly said that evangelization will be a top priority in his leadership: "When I look back on the order's history, I see evangelization in virtually everything we've done. Yet today, there is a special urgency." Supporting the National Eucharistic Revival -- a project of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops launched in 2020 -- is one way the Knights under Kelly are supporting evangelization.

Personal life

Kelly and his wife, Vanessa, are the parents of three daughters. He received a bachelor's degree in economics from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

, a master's in theology from the

Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family The John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences is a Roman Catholic pontifical institute of theological studies on marriage and family with affiliated campuses around the world. History In 1981, Pope John P ...

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...

, and a law degree from Marquette University Law School in 1993. Kelly grew up as one of seven siblings in Michigan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Patrick E. Lawyers from Washington, D.C. Roman Catholic activists Catholic University of America alumni Living people Marquette University alumni Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) United States Navy officers Deputy Supreme Knights of the Knights of Columbus Supreme Knights of the Knights of Columbus