Most Reverend Gregory L. Parkes serves as fifth bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg.
Pope Francis appointed Bishop Parkes to be shepherd of the Diocese of St. Petersburg on November 28, 2016, and his Installation Mass was celebrated on January 4, 2017, at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle in St. Petersburg. He succeeded Bishop Robert Lynch who retired at the age of 75 and is serving as Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of St. Petersburg.
Bishop Parkes was ordained to the episcopacy and installed as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee on Tuesday, June 5, 2012, at St. Paul Catholic Church in Pensacola. Archbishop Thomas Wenski was principal consecrator at the Ordination Mass.
He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Orlando by Bishop Norbert Dorsey on June 26, 1999.
His assignments after ordination have included parochial vicar at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orlando and founding pastor of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Celebration. Bishop Parkes served the Diocese of Orlando as Vicar General and Chancellor for Canonical Affairs while also serving as pastor of Corpus Christi Parish.
Personal History
Bishop Parkes was born on April 2, 1964, to Ronald and Joan Parkes. His parents named him Gregory Lawrence. He grew up in Massapequa, a town on Long Island, NY. He attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic School and thought about priesthood briefly in the second grade. He and his two brothers were altar servers, and their parents were active in parish ministries. His younger brother Stephen, also a priest, was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Savanah on July 8, 2020. Bishop Parkes’ parents and his older brother Christopher are deceased.
Official Motto
Bishop Parkes believes that serving for God’s glory is the guiding principle of his ministry, which is why he chose, “To your name give the glory” from Psalm 115, Verse 1 as his pastoral motto.
Milestones
Since being named spiritual leader of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Bishop Parkes has made it his mission to listen and respond to the needs of the priests and the people of God.
Listening Sessions
Shortly after the bishop’s arrival to St. Petersburg in 2017, he visited parishes around the Diocese to participate in Listening Sessions. He wanted to learn as much as possible about the people, parishes, and schools entrusted to his care. The Listening Sessions provided a forum for the faith community to share their thoughts and suggestions. This effort provided the bishop a tremendous amount of insight and he discovered common themes, such as the need to more effectively minister to youth, young adults, and families and the need for greater outreach and evangelization. The feedback from these sessions became the foundation for the mutually shared vision that Bishop Parkes announced in 2018: Courageously Living the Gospel.
Affordable Housing for People in Need
Everyone deserves a safe place to live but our community has a shortage of affordable homes and homeless men and women still struggle to find shelter. In 2018, Bishop Parkes set a goal of establishing up to 10 new locations of affordable housing for families and/or singles throughout the Diocese by the end of 2021.
Despite a global pandemic that slowed down our efforts, ten new projects opened by the summer of 2023 and are listed below.
Operated by Catholic Charities:
- Hernando County, St. Teresa Apartments, Brooksville, Opened in 2019.
- Citrus Country St. Benedict Apartments, Crystal River, Opened in 2023.
- Hillsborough County
- Bella Vista Apartments, Tampa, Opened in 2019.
- Mercy Oak Apartments, Tampa, Opened in 2022.
- Las Villas Apartments, Ruskin, Opened in 2022.
- La Tierra Verde, Tampa Opened in 2021.
- Pasco County
- Bethany Family Apartments, Dade City Converted into Affordable Housing in 2020
Operated by St. Vincent de Paul CARES:
- Ozanam Village II, New Port Richey, opened in 2020.
- Ozanam Village III, New Port Richey, opened in 2021.
- Rosalie Rendu Residences New Port Richey, opened in 2023.
Shelter and Support for the Homeless
- On November 18, 2019, Bishop Parkes blessed 20 new Hope Cottages, which increased the capacity for shelter at Pinellas Hope to about 240, which includes tents.
- On October 20, 2020, Bishop Parkes blessed a new medical facility that helps homeless men and women at Pinellas Hope on the road to recovery.
- On October 8, 2021, Bishop Parkes blessed the new Pasco Family Shelter, an emergency shelter for families in Port Richey providing free housing and services to homeless families of Pasco County.
- On December 13, 2021, under the leadership of Bishop Parkes, Catholic Charities opened Tampa Hope, a homeless shelter in Hillsborough County.
New Director of Ministry to Priests
Also in 2018, Bishop Parkes appointed Monsignor Michael Muhr as the first Director of Ministry to Priests. Bishop Parkes created this full-time role after he heard there was a need to provide more spiritual care, support, and mentoring to priests in the Diocese. Bishop Parkes asked a group of priests to nominate some individuals for the new position and a vote was taken on who would be appointed to this role.
Education and Additional Responsibilities
Education
- B.S. Finance, Florida State University, 1986
- S.T.B., Pontifical Gregorian University, 1998
- J.C.L., Pontifical Gregorian University, 2000
National Regional and Responsibilities
- USCCB Committee on Budget and Finance, Committee Member
- St. Vincent de Paul Seminary Board of Trustees
- St. John Vianney Seminary Board of Trustees
- Saint Leo University Board of Trustees
- Catholic Leadership Institute, Episcopal Advisory Board
Prior Leadership Positions
Treasurer, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, elected November 2018 and served through November 2022.
Path to Priesthood
Young Adult Years
In high school, he thought about working in Hospitality Management and after graduation he moved to Daytona Beach and attended community college. Then he transferred to Florida State University. He had a typical college experience, joined a fraternity, attended football games, and changed his major to Finance. During his college years, he attended Mass each Sunday at the Catholic church across from campus. He credits his parents for showing him the importance of Mass participation each Sunday.
Career in Banking
He moved to Tampa after college graduation and worked in banking. He received several promotions and enjoyed a lot of material success, but he lacked peace, happiness, and fulfillment. He had a rebirth of faith and started attending daily Mass. He was open to marriage, but it became apparent that God was leading him somewhere else.
The Call
He started spending much more time in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament at his home parish, Christ the King, in Tampa and other parishes around the Diocese of St. Petersburg. He asked God, “What are you calling me to do with my life?” Soon after, he moved back to the East Coast of Florida and met with the Vocations Director of the Diocese of Orlando. He then enrolled at the seminary in Boynton Beach, the same place where his younger brother had started attending one year earlier. He was ordained June 26, 1999.
The Second Call
In 2012, then Father Parkes received a call that would change his life once again. Pope Benedict XVI had appointed him to become a bishop. His first assignment was the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. His second assignment was Diocese of St. Petersburg, and he was installed as our shepherd on January 4, 2017.