Gregory Kelly (bishop)
John Gregory Kelly is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Tyler since 2025.
Biography
Early life
John Kelly was born on February 15, 1956, in Le Mars, Iowa, to John Dennis and Marilean Kelly. He started his college studies at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. When he decided to become a priest, he left the university to enter Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Holy Trinity in 1978 and his Master of Divinity degree in 1982 from the University of Dallas in Dallas, Texas.Priesthood
On May 15, 1982, Kelly was ordained by Bishop Thomas Tschoepe to the priesthood for the Diocese of Dallas at Sacred Heart Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The diocese assigned Kelly as assistant pastor at All Saints Parish in Dallas. He left All Saints in 1986 to become chaplain at the University of Dallas, holding that position for the next ten years.Kelly was named in 1995 to also serve as vocations director for the diocese. In 1996, he was moved from the university to become pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in McKinney, Texas. In 2008, Bishop Kevin Farrell appointed Kelly as vicar for clergy. Pope Benedict XVI named Kelly a monsignor in 2013.
Auxiliary Bishop of Dallas
appointed Kelly as titular bishop of Jamestown and as an auxiliary bishop of Dallas on December 16, 2015. On February 11, 2016, Kelly was consecrated at the Cathedral [Santuario de Guadalupe (Dallas, Texas)| National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe] in Dallas by Bishop Kevin Farrell, with Archbishop Michael Sheehan and Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel acting as co-consecrators.Following the appointment of Dallas Bishop Kevin Farrell to a Vatican post in August 2016, Kelly served as apostolic administrator of the diocese until the installation of Bishop Edward J. Burns in February 2017.