Bishop Gregory Parkes, bishop of Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA, will be the co-ordinator of bishops for his younger brother, Bishop Stephen Parkes, appointed by the Holy Father to be bishop of the diocese of Savannah, state. Georgia, in early July this year.
On the morning of July 2 of this year, pastor Stephen Parkes, 55, rode his bicycle for more than 50 kilometers near Orlando, and when he returned home, he received a phone call from Archbishop Christophe Pierre, The Apostolic Nuncio to Washington, D.C., announced that he had been chosen by the Holy Father as bishop of Savannah. After that phone call, the Nuncio also called to inform Bishop Gregory, one year older than the new bishop's brother. Archbishop Pierre also agreed to let Bishop Gregory call his brother, because this news is still kept secret and has not been released.
Bishop Gregory immediately called Father Stephen to congratulate and encourage him: “You are a priest and a good pastor. I will also be a good bishop for the diocese of Savannah.”
The "Tampa Bay Times" in Florida, the last issue of August 29, said that such a case of brothers becoming bishops is a rare occurrence. The parents of the two brothers have passed away. Both brothers worked in the banking industry, before becoming a monk. In 1998, Father Stephen Parkes was ordained a priest, and the following year it was his brother Gregory's turn. Both belong to the diocese of Orlando, Florida.
In 2012, Father Gregory was appointed bishop of Pensacola-Talllahassee diocese by the Holy See, before moving to the larger Saint Petersburg diocese, with nearly half a million Catholics, and next September 23, his turn to be ordained. ordained and Bishop Gregory will be co-ordinating bishop during the Mass at the Cathedral of Savannah. Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer, former bishop of Savannah and now Archbishop of Atlanta, will be the presiding officer, and the second coadjutor will be Bishop John Noonan, bishop of Orlando.
According to the “Tampa Bay Times,” Bishop Gregory advised his brother-in-law three things: “First, seek to know the people to whom you are called to serve and to love them. Second, make sure you're there to serve them. And lastly, before you make any major changes or decisions, make sure you're doing the first two things."
The two bishops said that in the history of the Church in the US, there were eleven cases where brothers were both bishops.