Pope Francis named a new bishop to lead the Diocese of Tyler, Texas (United States), more than a year after the Holy See removed its bishop Joseph Strickland amid questions about the management of the diocese.
Dallas Auxiliary Bishop J. Gregory Kelly will lead the Diocese of Tyler, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States Cardinal Christophe Pierre said Friday.
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He will replace the diocesan leadership of Austin Bishop Joe Vasquez, who has served as apostolic administrator in Tyler since last year.
Pope Francis relieved Bishop Strickland of the bishopric of Tyler last November after an apostolic visitation concluded that it was “not feasible” for Strickland to remain in that position. Days earlier, Strickland had refused to voluntarily tender his resignation.
Bishop Strickland, 65, had served as Bishop of Tyler since 2012. The widely popular but polarizing Texas bishop had faced criticism for his social media posts, including a tweet last year that suggested Pope Francis was “undermining the deposit of faith.”
“I am grateful for this new responsibility”
The Texas Catholic, the newspaper of the Diocese of Dallas, said on friday that Kelly will move into Tyler on February 24, 2025.
“I am grateful for this new responsibility and will do everything I can to serve the priests, deacons, religious and faithful of the Diocese of Tyler,” Bishop Kelly was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
The bishop-elect was born on February 15, 1956 in Le Mars, Iowa. He earned a degree in philosophy from the University of Dallas while studying priestly formation at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas. He later received a master’s degree in divinity from the university.
He was ordained in the Diocese of Dallas on May 15, 1982 by Bishop Thomas Tschoepe. He served in numerous roles throughout the diocese, including as pastor at several churches and as chaplain at the University of Dallas. From 2008 to 2016 he served as vicar for clergy of the Diocese of Dallas.
In 2016 he was ordained auxiliary bishop of the diocese, where he has served since. He also serves as vicar general and moderator of the curia.
His other responsibilities have included serving as diocesan vocations director and as a member of the diocesan review board. He also served as apostolic administrator there between 2016 and 2017.
Dallas Bishop Edward Burns said Friday that the pope “has chosen a loyal and committed bishop to serve the Diocese of Tyler,” although he said “we will miss our beloved brother here in the Diocese of Dallas.” .
“We recognize that Pope Francis has chosen a man who possesses the heart of the Good Shepherd and will serve God’s people well in the Diocese of Tyler,” said Bishop Burns.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Daniel Payne
Daniel Payne is senior editor at Catholic News Agency. He previously worked at College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.