Patrick James Ryan (3 December 1902 – 5 June 1978) was an American major general and Catholic priest who served as the 9th Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army from 1954 to 1958.

Only briefly serving in a parish after his ordination for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul in 1927, he entered the Army Reserve as a chaplain in 1928.

During World War II he served in North Africa and Italy where he earned numerous honors and awards, including appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

After the war, he held various roles at the Pentagon and at the Sixth Army in San Francisco before becoming Chief of Chaplains in 1954.

[6] After participating in the liberation of Rome in June 1944, Ryan celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving attended by 10,000 people at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, with Cardinal Eugène Tisserant, secretary of the Sacred Oriental Congregation, presiding.

[11] Ryan returned from overseas in July 1945, and began serving in the Pentagon in September as director of plans and training in the office of Chief of Chaplains.

[12][1] During that time, he was named the Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army in March 1946 and served in that role until September 1948.

[1][13] On 18 March 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower nominated Ryan as the 9th Chief of Chaplains with the rank of major general.

"[17] His tenure as chief of chaplains was reported to have "vastly improved" the chaplaincy corps and "achieved the best approach to an all-around religious program" in the history of the Army.