27 Facts About Gregory Parkes

Gregory Lawrence Parkes was born on April 2,1964 and is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

Bishop Parkes has been serving as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of St Petersburg in Florida since 2017.

Gregory Parkes served as bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Florida from 2012 to 2016.

Bishop Gregory Parkes was born on April 2,1964, in Mineola, New York.

Gregory Parkes graduated from Massapequa High School and attended Daytona Beach Community College in Daytona, Beach, Florida.

Gregory Parkes earned a Bachelor of Finance degree from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, and worked in banking in Tampa for seven years.

Bishop Gregory Parkes heard God's call to the priesthood as a parishioner at Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa.

Gregory Parkes studied for the priesthood at St Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida.

In 1996, Gregory Parkes entered the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he received a Graduate Bachelor of Theology degree in 1998 and a Licentiate in Canon Law in 2000.

On June 26,1999, Bishop Gregory Parkes was ordained a priest at Saint James Cathedral in Orland for the Diocese of Orlando by Bishop Norbert Dorsey.

Gregory Parkes was transferred in 2005 to become the founding pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Celebration, Florida.

Gregory Parkes attended his first Ad Limina meeting with the pope at the Vatican prior to his consecration.

Gregory Parkes was installed and consecrated on June 5,2012, at St Paul's Church in Pensacola, Florida.

In March 2015, Bishop Gregory Parkes led a public procession on one of the holiest days on the Church calendar, Palm Sunday.

Gregory Parkes helped carry a large wooden cross through public streets in Gulf Breeze.

In October 2015, Bishop Gregory Parkes authorized a petition for Pope Francis to canonize 86 Native Americans, priests, religious lay brothers, and men, women and children known as Martyrs of La Florida who died defending their Catholic faith.

Gregory Parkes was installed at the Cathedral of Saint Jude the Apostle in St Petersburg on January 4,2017.

In 2018, Bishop Gregory Parkes led the diocese in hosting a listening session, a day-long workshop and a series of civil dialogues where local Catholics could discuss how racism is impacting their lives in the Church and the community.

Gregory Parkes attended his second ad limina visit to the Vatican in 2019.

Gregory Parkes started a "View from the Top" podcast, giving an overview of the diocese, and his "Invitation to Worship" podcast, giving a quick overview of the weekly reading.

In May 2021, Bishop Gregory Parkes blessed the new altar and celebrated Mass at a new parish, the first of its kind for Vietnamese Catholics in Tampa.

Bishop Gregory Parkes has led the diocese through some of the most severe hurricanes to hit the Tampa Bay area in modern history.

Bishop Gregory Parkes instituted the diocese's first-ever Parental Leave Policy on January 22,2024.

Gregory Parkes directed diocesan officials to launch an accountability website detailing the safeguards the diocese put in place for those working with children and vulnerable adults, such as background screening and fingerprinting.

The Diocese of St Petersburg and Bishop Gregory Parkes defended against this action, and it was ultimately dismissed on March 29,2019 by agreement of the parties.

In honor of the anniversary, Bishop Gregory Parkes led a three-year vision plan titled "Courageously Living the Gospel" focusing on evangelization, alleviating social and economic hardships and meeting the spiritual needs of youth and young adults.

Gregory Parkes blessed a new facility at BayCare Medical Respite Program located at Pinellas Hope.