Most Reverend Gregory Kelly
Bishop of Tyler
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Sunday, Feb. 23 Evening Prayer
Monday, Feb. 24 Installation Mass
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Sunday, Feb. 23 Evening Prayer
Monday Feb. 24 Installation Mass
Installation Magazine
Bishop John Gregory Kelly was born to John and Marilean Kelly on February 15, 1956, in LeMars, Iowa. He was baptized at St. Mary’s Church in Alton, Iowa. He grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, attending Sacred Heart Elementary School, St. Mary’s High School and Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
Bishop Kelly entered Holy Trinity Seminary in 1976 and received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Divinity degrees from the University of Dallas. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Dallas on May 15, 1982, at his home parish of Sacred Heart. He served four years as Associate Pastor at All Saints Church in Dallas and in 1986 was assigned as Chaplain of the University of Dallas. In 1995, he was named Vocations Director for the Diocese of Dallas, and in 1996 was appointed Pastor of the newly-established parish of St. Gabriel the Archangel in McKinney. He served in that position until January 2008 when he was named Vicar for Clergy by now-Cardinal Kevin Farrell.
Bishop Kelly has served on the Presbyteral Council and as a member of the College of Consultors for the last 17 years. He has also chaired the Priests’ Personnel Board and has served on the boards of the University of Dallas, St. John Paul II High School in Plano, and Catholic Charities of Dallas. He served as Interim Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving in the spring of 2014. On February 1, 2013, he was given the title of Monsignor by Pope Benedict XVI.
On December 16, 2015, Monsignor Kelly was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas by Pope Francis and was ordained at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe on February 11, 2016. On April 18, 2016, he was appointed Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Dallas.
On December 20, 2024, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Kelly as the Fifth Bishop of Tyler and he was installed on February 24, 2025.
Bishop Kelly attributes his vocation to the deep faith and example of his parents, John and Marilean, both deceased. Also, to his childhood Pastor, Father George Julian, OMI, whose example of priesthood inspired his own.
Recent News from Bishop Kelly
U.S. Bishops Issue “Special Message” on Immigration; Bishop Kelly Asks for Prayers and Solidarity
"The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking. Where the world sees threats, she sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges. She knows that her proclamation of the Gospel is credible only when it is translated into gestures of closeness...
Bishop Kelly unites with Texas bishops in response to court’s decision on status of DACA recipients in Texas
To the Priests and Faithful of the Diocese of Tyler, Today my brother bishops and I have issued a statement regarding the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, on the status of DACA recipients in Texas. This decision is likely to significantly...
Bishop Kelly hopes ESA program will support East Texas Families
Last week the Texas Comptroller’s Office published the proposed rules for the Education Savings Account (ESA) program that will be available for the 2026-2027 school year. This program provides parents of students in non-public schools a publicly funded government...
Former Bishops of the Diocese of Tyler
Bishop Charles Herzig
First Bishop
The first Bishop of Tyler was Charles E. Herzig who was ordained concurrently with the erection of the diocese on Feb. 24, 1987. Bishop Herzig laid the foundations for the growth of the diocese. After a battle with lung cancer, he died in office on Sept. 7, 1991, and is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler.
Bishop Edmond Carmody
Second Bishop
On March 24, 1992, Edmond Carmody, auxiliary bishop of San Antonio, was appointed Bishop of Tyler and was installed on May 25 of the same year. Bishop Carmody oversaw a significant expansion of parishes and led the diocese until March 17, 2000, when he was installed as Bishop of Corpus Christi.
Bishop Alvaro Corrada
Third Bishop
In December of 2000, Alvaro Corrada del Rio, SJ, at the time auxiliary bishop of Washington and Apostolic Administrator of Caguas in Puerto Rico, was named Bishop of Tyler; he was installed on Jan. 30, 2001. Bishop Corrada was transferred to the Diocese of Mayagüez in Puerto Rico, on July 6, 2011 and installed on Sept. 12.
Bishop Joseph Strickland
Fourth Bishop
In September of 2012, Msgr. Joseph Strickland, a priest of Tyler who had previously served as Judicial Vicar and Vicar General, was named the fourth Bishop of Tyler. He was consecrated as bishop on Nov. 28, 2012, and served until Nov. 11, 2023.