After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, Patrick studied philosophy and religion at the University of Chicago, receiving the M.A. in 2007. He went on to live and practice for nine years as a Zen Buddhist monastic and was ordained as a Zen priest in 2018. He returned to academia after leaving Great Vow Zen Monastery in 2023. He now co-leads retreats and supports a weekly practice group in Columbus through Mud Lotus Sangha.   

Patrick's current research focuses on the modern UFO/UAP phenomenon and its relationship to historical formations of religion and spirituality. His dissertation traces a logic of secrecy and initiation that connects ancient mystery schools, early modern secret societies, and contemporary technoscientific, military, and intelligence operations. By showing how technology and spirituality, science and myth, materiality and consciousness, are entangled in the UFO, his work calls for a rethinking of the nature of religion and its role in shaping the modern world.