Elder Patrick Kearon is the newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was called on Thursday, December 7, 2023, and ordained that same day by President Russell M. Nelson and other members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Elder-KearonElder Patrick Kearon. 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Download Photo
“The call to the Holy Apostleship is a call to bear witness to the world of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ,” President Russell M. Nelson said upon his call to serve in that capacity in 1984.
In addition to the primary responsibility of being special witnesses to the name of Christ throughout the world, the apostles have important administrative responsibilities in overseeing the operations and development of a universal Church. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is the second governing body of the Church. Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles serve under the direction of the First Presidency, which is composed of the President of the Church and two counselors.
Elder Kearon, who has served as senior president of the Presidency of the Seventy since August 2020, fills the position left vacant by the death of President M. Russell Ballard, who died Sunday, November 12, 2023. Of British and Irish descent, Elder Kearon is He has been a General Authority Seventy since April 3, 2010.
“I feel the responsibility of this sacred calling, and it brings me a sense of humility,” Elder Kearon said. “I will need to put all my trust in the Savior as I work to become what He needs me to be and share my testimony of His love and His light. The abundance and grace of Jesus Christ has brought immense joy to my life, as has the healing balm in times of trial. I love. I will strive to serve Him to the best of my ability.”
The elder Kearon, 62, grew up in the United Kingdom and the Middle East, where his father worked in the defense industry. At ten years old he attended a boarding school in England while his parents were still in Saudi Arabia. The great trial represented by that separation blessed him with deep thoughts and sensitivity that marked his ministry.
“Of course, we are all far from home in various ways,” Elder Kearon once taught students at Brigham Young University. “The metaphor with our eternal home is clear. […] Our Eternal Father has not let any of us leave home, leave His presence, without accessing His love and guidance—every day of our lives.”
The elder Kearon has lived and worked in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United States in various industries. He also started his own communications consultancy.
Elder Kearon first became acquainted with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he lived in California with a family of Church members. He said they “lived a joyful existence based on service.” A few years later he met missionaries on the street in London and was subsequently baptized on Christmas Eve 1987.
Two years after his baptism, Elder Kearon met Jennifer Hulme, a student at Brigham Young University in Provo. She was visiting London for a six-month study abroad. The couple married in the Oakland California Temple in 1991 and then lived in England for nineteen years before moving to Utah when Elder Kearon was called as a General Authority Seventy. They have four children: Sean (died as an infant), Elizabeth, Susannah and Emma.
Prior to his calling as a General Authority, Elder Kearon served as an Area Seventy, stake president, and branch president in addition to various other Church callings.
Elder Kearon will be sustained in April 2024 general conference.