Pope Leo XIV has appointed Patrick Kelly, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus and a trustee of The Catholic University of America, as a member of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life. The Vatican announced the appointment on August 25.
As a member of the dicastery, Kelly will support the Church's mission on behalf of the laity, the family, and the sanctity of life. Undertaking this new role, he draws on both his decades of leadership experience and his education.
Kelly earned his master's degree in theology on the Catholic University campus, attending the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. He served 24 years in the United States Navy and currently leads the Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization, as Supreme Knight and CEO, a role he has held since 2021.
