Fr. John Paul Kern, O.P., was ordained to the priesthood in 2019 and served as Catholic chaplain at the University of Louisville before being appointed Executive Director of the Dominican Friars Foundation.

He grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, where his father taught at the United States Naval Academy. Before entering the Order of Preachers, Fr. John Paul earned degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Nuclear Engineering from Penn State University and worked as a reactor inspector for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Fr. John Paul currently serves as the Executive Director of the Dominican Friars Foundation as well as the Director of the Rosary Shrine of Saint Jude in Washington, DC, where he raises resources for the formation and work of the Friars and provides for the spiritual needs of the benefactors of the Shrine.

He also enjoys preaching retreats, leading pilgrimages, and serving at the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer and St. Catherine of Siena in New York City.