By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
Bishop Gregory Parkes of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Fla., newly-appointed to St. Petersburg, Fla.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. | Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Gregory L. Parkes, bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee, as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida. Bishop Parkes succeeds the retiring Bishop Robert N. Lynch, who has served as bishop of St. Petersburg since his installation in 1996.
The appointment was made public in Washington Nov. 28 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Bishop Parkes held a press conference that same day at the Diocese of St. Petersburg’s Pastoral Center.
“I am filled with joy that Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Parkes as the new bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg. I invite the faithful of our diocese and of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee to join me in offering prayers of thanksgiving and to pray for Bishop Parkes as he transitions to shepherd the people of the Diocese of St. Petersburg,” Bishop Lynch said.
Bishop Parkes was born in Mineola, N.Y., April 2, 1964. He attended St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach from 1993 to 1996 and the Pontifical North American College in Vatican City from 1996 to 2000. He holds a degree in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University (1998) and a degree in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University (2000), as well as a bachelor’s degree in finance from Florida State University.
Photographer: Ed Foster Jr.
Bishop Robert N. Lynch, retiring from the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Fla., where he has served since 1996.
He was ordained a priest of the Orlando diocese by Bishop Norbert Dorsey June 26, 1999. Assignments after ordination included: parochial vicar, Holy Family Church, Orlando, from 2000 to 2004; and parochial administrator and pastor of Corpus Christi Church, Celebration, from 2005 to 2012.
Bishop Parkes also served the Orlando diocese as vicar general and chancellor for canonical affairs.
On March 20, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee. He was installed as the fifth bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee June 5, 2012.
Bishop Robert N. Lynch, 75, was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Miami on May 13, 1978. He was appointed the fourth bishop of St. Petersburg on Dec. 5, 1995 and was installed Jan. 26, 1996.
He is known for his time spent as the general secretary of the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB).
His last assignment before coming to St. Petersburg was as pastor of St. Mark Church in Southwest Ranches. He also served as associate pastor of St. James in North Miami, and rector and president of St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami.
The diocese of St. Petersburg comprises 3,177 square miles in the state of Florida. It has a total population of 3,009,840 people of whom 445,456, or 14 percent, are Catholic.
