Lee este artículo en español Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Hope shines brightly during the holidays. In fact, our traditions are a way to express hope. The lights on the tree shine brightly to proclaim Jesus, the Light of the World. The Christmas carols exalt our Savior, who brings joy to the world. The …
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The annual World Mission Sunday celebration will be observed on the weekend of October 18-19, 2025. Each year on the next-to-last weekend of October, we are reminded that we, along with all the Christian faithful, are called to share in the Church’s missionary work in some way. This year’s …
Bishop Gregory Parkes issued this statement on August 27, 2025, in response to the shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Today, we are confronted with a heartbreaking act of evil and violence at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. The tragedy is made even more painful by the fact …
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Bishop Parkes wrote a letter to families inviting them to include God in their lives during this school year. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It is “back to school” time once again! For many of us, this means shopping for school supplies, coordinating transportation, preparing for after-school care, sitting down to work on homework …
The Catholic Church is pro-life. This means we believe that each human life has dignity, regardless of immigration status. Human dignity exists because each of us is created in the image and likeness of God. We also affirm that sovereign nations have the right to control and restrict their borders, and law enforcement actions to …
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The statement below from Bishop Parkes is an open letter to the Jewish community. As the leader of the Catholic Church in Tampa Bay, I write to express my solidarity with Jewish individuals and communities around the country and world who have faced acts of violence. Antisemitism is a grave sin against God and humanity …
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Today, I rejoice with all people of goodwill in Florida with the news that Amendment 4 was defeated on Tuesday, November 5th. This deceptive and dangerous amendment would have enshrined unregulated abortion into our state constitution. This is an affront to the right to life upon which our nation was founded. Our nation’s Declaration of …
On October 28, 2024, Bishop Gregory Parkes launched a new Pastoral Plan for the Diocese of Saint Petersburg called, “A Call to Conversion.” The following is his letter to the faithful about the plan that will guide our diocese for the next five years. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In my prayer, I contemplate …
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I pray you and your loved ones are safe. Now that Milton has passed and assessments are coming in from across our diocese, we know that millions experienced long-term power and water outages and the stress of fuel shortages, while hundreds of thousands of families have experienced damage and …
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In light of great loss and a long road for recovery, Bishop Parkes has written a message about how our Diocese was impacted by Hurricane Helene and how we can find hope and provide help in the aftermath. October 2, 2024“Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth” …
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