THE Knights of Columbus board has elected a brilliant new Supreme Knight with whom I have had the pleasure of working with for more than a decade. Patrick Kelly is a devoted husband, father of three young daughters, and a man of deep faith with many years of experience as a public servant. He possesses the knowledge, experience and commitment necessary to carry the Order forward in service to our brother Knights, their families, our parishes, and our communities.”
The newly elected Supreme Knight is a retired Navy Captain with 20 years of military service. In 2016, he retired from the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps Reserve, where he specialized in international and operational law and served as the Commanding Officer of the international law unit at the United States Naval War College. Previously, Mr. Kelly had a long career of public service that included advisory roles to Congress and the Department of Justice. Mr. Kelly also served as Senior Advisor to the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom at the State Department. His responsibilities included serving as the Department’s principal interlocutor with the Holy See and other nations on religious freedom issues.
Mr. Kelly holds a law degree from Marquette University Law School and a master’s in theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America.
