In addition to being leader of nearly 500,000 Catholics in West Central Florida, Bishop Parkes is also a social media influencer who shares his faith with people from all across the country. Bishop Parkes (@BishopParkes) is active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  He likes to post about daily activities, some of which show a more personal side to the pastor in chief of the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

When describing why Bishop Parkes received this year’s honor, the judges who reviewed his account said his Facebook, “Stands out for the posts that position him as active and interested in his community, particularly the regular short video interviews he hosts with locals of interest to the local Church.”

The short videos are called “Take Five with Bishop Parkes.” Last November, Bishop Parkes started recording five-minute video segments for social media that are described as a “conversation on faith and life.” In the video, Bishop Parkes speaks with a different guest in each episode to learn about various faith-related topics. (The recordings are currently on summer break and will resume in the fall.)

Last year, when Bishop Parkes was facing a serious surgery, more people started following him on social media so they could share encouraging messages of hope, and also see health updates about his recovery.

Many photos that are shared on social media are taken by Father Ralph D’Elia, the bishop’s Priest Secretary. Father Ralph captures photos of various liturgies around the Diocese and many other special events attended by Bishop Parkes.

Some might say this is unconventional work for a bishop. But to Bishop Parkes, it’s his way of sharing the Good News, and also letting people see the life of a bishop.

“It's quite amazing the number of lives that you touch over the years, and I guess I’ve picked up a little bit of a following along the way on social media.  I appreciate that very, very much. It's a blessing to have this community on social media, and I know that they pray for me and of course, I keep everyone in prayer,” said Bishop Parkes.

In 2018, Bishop Parkes received a first-place award by the Catholic Media Association for his Twitter account.

Follow Bishop Parkes on Social Media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bishopparkes/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bishopparkes/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BishopParkes