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, where he first 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.

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 glory” from Psalm 115, Verse 1 as his pastoral motto.

Listening Sessions/Pastoral Plans

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.

On June 18, 2018, during the 50th Anniversary Mass of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, Bishop Parkes announced a mutually-shared vision and pastoral plan known as Courageously Living the Gospel.  Through prayer, discernment and research, a Visioning Team appointed by Bishop Parkes reviewed feedback from the Listening Sessions to develop the vision, a mission statement, and a set of priorities and goals for the Diocese.

Between October 2021 and March 2022, Bishop Parkes invited the community to participate in the Diocesan phase of the Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality. Synod Sessions rooted in the Holy Spirit were held in all counties of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg for listening and discernment. Deaneries, parishes, and other ministries hosted 156 Synod sessions with approximately 6,480 participants, in multiple languages. Some sessions focused on youth and young adults. Other sessions ensured the participation of specific groups, including migrant workers, prisoners, the homeless, the sick and homebound, Catholics of various ethnicities, as well as young children and their parents.

On October 27, 2024, Bishop Parkes announced a new pastoral plan for the Diocese of Saint Petersburg during the St. Jude the Apostle Medal Prayer Service at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle. The new plan, A Call to Conversion, was based, in part, on input from the Synod Sessions.

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. The bishop’s pastoral plan launched in 2018, 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 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 2021.

Operated by Blue Sky Communities

• On May 8, 2025, Bishop Parkes blessed a new affordable housing community for seniors built on land donated by the Diocese of Saint Petersburg on the campus of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, in Hillsborough County. Casa di Francesco features a single four-story building with 100 one-bedroom units and 40 two-bedroom units that offers amenities such as a clubhouse, craft room, library, exercise room, walking trail, picnic area, and a community garden.

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 and in partnership with the City of Tampa, Catholic Charities opened Tampa Hope, a homeless shelter in Hillsborough County.
• On November 1, 2024, under the leadership of Bishop Parkes and in collaboration with Pasco County Board of County Commissioners, Catholic Charities opened Pasco Hope for Seniors in Holiday. There are fifty single-person units knowns as Hope Cottages and up to 25 two-person trailers. Shower, toilet and laundry facilities as well as a kitchen trailer are also available on-site.
• On December 13, 2024, Catholic Charities opened Pasco Hope for Families in Port Richey. It was set up to accommodate up to 108 family members in fourteen trailers (6 individuals each) with the same additional amenities.
• On August 27, 2025, Bishop Parkes blessed a new Citrus County Service Center that is operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Saint Peterburg. The Service Center will provide mental health counseling, financial assistance, empowerment classes, immigration services, and basic pregnancy services.
• On September 22, 2025, Bishop Gregory Parkes blessed the new Matthew 25 Community Center at Tampa Hope. The Center will offer amenities, such as a laundry room, showers, hair salon, kitchen and dining area for individuals served at Tampa Hope, a homeless shelter operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg.

New Mission for Migrant Community

On July 1, 2023, Bishop Parkes established a new diocesan mission, San Juan Diego Mission, in southeast Hillsborough County. The San Juan Diego Mission provides sacraments and other pastoral care to migrants from many Central and South American countries. The Mission started as a ministry of St. Clement Parish, in Plant City to serve local farmworkers.

New Food Bank

On June 6, 2022, a new Nativity Food Bank opened in Dover. The newly constructed building offers more than 11,000 square feet of warehouse space and state-of-the-art equipment to better serve the hungry population of Hillsborough County. The Food Bank expansion was a response to Courageously Living the Gospel, the diocesan pastoral plan announced by Bishop Parkes in 2018.

New Parental Leave Policy

On January 22, 2024, the National Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, Bishop Gregory Parkes approved a new policy that provides eight weeks of paid leave to employees following the birth of a baby or an adoption. Known as, “Forming the Family in the Faith,” the new policy provides families paid time away from work obligations during the first eight weeks after the birth of a child or after an adoption to cultivate a loving and spiritual relationship with their child(ren) and to form a family plan for spiritual development and formation. Additionally, the policy seeks to assist married couples deepen their relationship with God and each other as they embrace their growing family.

Disaster Relief Assistance

On November 26, 2024, Bishop Parkes presented a $300,000 donation from the Diocese of Saint Petersburg Disaster Relief Fund to Catholic Charities to support individuals in the community who were suffering after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

New Cemetery

On April 26, 2024, Bishop Parkes blessed the newly opened Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, in Hillsborough County. The cemetery took eight years to be established and is located on a 120-acre nature preserve in Seffner surrounded by grand oak trees. Resurrection provides all above-ground arrangements, the only cemetery of its kind in Florida.

Awards

On February 6, 2025, Bishop Parkes received the 2025 Soaring Eagle Award for his unwavering support of the community and youth. The award was presented on behalf of the Withlacoohee District of the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council, Scouting America during an event at the College of Central Florida, in Lecanto.

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

• B.S. Finance, Florida State University, 1986
• S.T.B., Pontifical Gregorian University, 1998
• J.C.L., Pontifical Gregorian University, 2000

National and Regional Responsibilities

• USCCB Audit Subcommittee, Chairman
• USCCB Committee on Budget and Finance, 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.

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.