Patrick Kelly

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Patrick E. Kelly, a Past State Deputy of the District of Columbia, was appointed Deputy Supreme Knight by the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors on December 13. A Knight for 33 years, Kelly became the Order’s Vice President for Public Policy in 2006 and since 2011 has also served as Executive Director of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C. He was elected to the Order’s Board of Directors in 2013. Earlier this year, he retired with the rank of Captain 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, Kelly had a long career of public service that included advisory roles to Congress and the Department of Justice. 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.

He succeeds Logan T. Ludwig, who is retiring at age 70 after serving as Deputy Supreme Knight since 2013. Ludwig served previously for two years as Supreme Treasurer and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2007.

Kelly has served as the first Executive Director of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, which is adjacent to The Catholic University of America. He has overseen the renewal of that facility, previously known as the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, which was purchased by the Supreme Council in 2011. During his tenure, the Shrine has developed a world-class permanent exhibit, called “A Gift of Love: The Life of Saint John Paul II,” and created two new worship spaces that feature the mosaic artwork of Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik — the Redemptor Hominis Church and the Luminous Mysteries Chapel, which enshrines a first- class blood relic of St. John Paul II. As Deputy Supreme Knight, Kelly will continue to oversee the Shrine’s operations.

He 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. He and his wife, Vanessa, have three young daughters.