Stephen D. Parkes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Stephen Douglas Parkes
Bishop of Savannah
DioceseSavannah
AppointedJuly 8, 2020
InstalledSeptember 23, 2020
PredecessorGregory John Hartmayer
Orders
OrdinationMay 23, 1998
by Norbert Dorsey
ConsecrationSeptember 23, 2020
by Gregory John Hartmayer, Gregory Parkes, and John Gerard Noonan
Personal details
Born (1965-06-02) June 2, 1965 (age 56)
Mineola, New York
MottoGaudete In Domino Semper
Coat of armsCoat of arms of Stephen Douglas Parkes.svg
Styles of
Stephen Douglas Parkes
Coat of arms of Stephen Douglas Parkes.svg
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Stephen Douglas Parkes (born June 2, 1965) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Savannah in Georgia since September 2020.[1]

Early life and education[]

Stephen D. Parkes was born in Mineola, New York, on June 2, 1965. He is the youngest of three boys born to Joan and Ron Parkes. Parkes attended Massapequa High School in Massapequa, New York. His older brother Gregory Parkes is the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg in Florida.[1]

Stephen Parkes earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Marketing from the University of South Florida. He received a Master of Divinity from the St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida.[2] Parkes is fluent in Spanish, having studied it in high school, college, and seminary, plus a six week language immersion course in Costa Rica.[3]

Priesthood[]

On May 23, 1998, Parkes was ordained to the priesthood. He was assigned as parochial vicar to Annunciation Catholic Parish in Altamonte Springs, Florida. In 2004, Parkes was named Spiritual Director for the Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Central Florida.

Parkes' first appointment was in 2005 as pastor was at Most Precious Blood Parish in Oviedo, Florida, in 2005. In 2011, he returned to Annunciation Catholic Parish to serve as pastor until 2020. Parkes also served on the Investment Committee of the Diocese of Orlando, as dean of the North Central Deanery (2010- 020), and a Spiritual Director to the Catholic Foundation of Central Florida (2019-2020).[4][5]

Episcopal career[]

On July 8, 2020, Pope Francis appointed Parkes as Bishop of the Diocese of Savannah .[6][7][8] On September 23, 2020, he was consecrated at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, with attendance restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

On September 29, 2020, Parkes and the diocese were sued by William Fred Baker Jr. He claimed that the diocese knew that Wayland Yoder Brown, a diocese priest, was molesting him when he was 10 years old at St. James Catholic School in Savannah, Georgia. Brown was sentenced to prison for sexual abuses crimes.[9]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Unique ceremony installs region's new Catholic bishop". WRDW News. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  2. ^ "Pope Francis Names Father Stephen Parkes of Diocese of Orlando as Bishop of Savannah". July 8, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Skutch, Jan. "Savannah's Catholic Bishop-elect Stephen D. Parkes preaches hope in the face of pandemic". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  4. ^ "Father Stephen Parkes is appointed 15th bishop of Savannah". DioceseofOrlando.org. July 8, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Pope Francis Names Father Stephen Parkes of Diocese of Orlando as Bishop of Savannah". usccb.org. Retrieved July 13, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Pope Francis Names Father Stephen Parkes of Diocese of Orlando as Bishop of Savannah". Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  7. ^ "THE DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH WELCOMES BISHOP-ELECT STEPHEN D. PARKES". Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "Pope Francis names new Savannah bishop". Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "Lawsuit alleges Catholic Diocese of Savannah covered up sex abuse claims". ajc. Retrieved 2021-10-13.

External links[]

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Savannah
2020–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Retrieved from ""