Patrick E. Kelly

Patrick E. Kelly is the fourteenth and current Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. He was the founding executive director of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C. In February 2021, he was elected by the board of directors to succeed Carl A. Anderson as the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. 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.

Dobbs decision overturning Roe

In the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization 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 added, "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 2,000th ultrasound machine was installed in August 2025. 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."

Kelly emphasized the importance of the Knights reaching out to young men at a conference in November 2025, saying, "“Many young men are lost and disconnected. Many come from broken families with fathers who are not a real part of their life. Many are drowning in the depths of the internet and social media.”

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. Bishop Andrew Cozzens, who led the three-year Eucharistic Revival on behalf of the U.S. bishops, credited Kelly with inspiring the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage's four-route cross-country approach, instead of the single route initially envisioned.

Under Kelly's leadership, the Knights produced Mother Teresa: No Greater Love, an American documentary film about the life of Mother Teresa.

On 25 August 2026, Pope Leo XIV appointed Kelly as a member of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.

Personal life Kelly and his wife, Vanessa, are the parents of three daughters.