Shortly after being installed as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg on January 4, 2017, Bishop Gregory Parked held Listening Sessions with the faithful to understand their concerns about this local Church. Then, in December of 2017, Bishop Parkes began a visioning process to sort through all of the feedback he had received in addition to the insights that were shared during the National Convocation of Catholic Leaders in July of 2017 that focused on missionary discipleship. This process resulted in a strategic plan for the Diocese of St. Petersburg and a vision, Courageously Living the Gospel.

The Visioning Process was facilitated by the Catholic Leadership Institute. A team of 15 representatives from throughout the Diocese joined Bishop Parkes in this process.