David Prescott Talley (born September 11, 1950) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, serving as the bishop of the

Diocese of Memphis In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

in Tennessee since 2019. Talley previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana (2016 to 2017) and as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Atlanta In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associ ...

in Georgia (2013 to 2016).

Biography

Early life

David Talley was born in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it o ...

, on September 11, 1950. Raised as a

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wo ...

, Talley converted to Catholicism in 1974 while attending Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama.Bishop David P. Talley, Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta (Episcopal Vicar Region II)
, ''Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta'', Smyrna, GA: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, 2014, Retrieved January 3, 2014. After graduating from Auburn, he entered the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

in Athens, Georgira, receiving a

Master of Social Work The Master of Social Work (MSW) is a master's degree in the field of social work. It is a professional degree with specializations compared to Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). MSW promotes macro-, mezzo- and micro-aspects of professional social wor ...

degree. Talley then served as a caseworker for abused and neglected children in

Fulton County, Georgia Fulton County is located in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,066,710, making it the state's most-populous county and its only one with over one million inha ...

. After deciding to enter the priesthood, Talley began his studies at St. Meinrad School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Indiana. He received a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree from St. Meinrad in 1989.

Priesthood

Talley was ordained into the priesthood by Archbishop

Eugene Antonio Marino Eugene Antonio Marino, SSJ (May 29, 1934 – November 12, 2000) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Atlanta, Georgia from 1988 until 1990, becoming the first African American archbishop in history. He was also the fir ...

on June 3, 1989, for the

at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta. After his ordination, Talley served as parochial vicar at St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Atlanta until 1993. Talley went to Rome to study at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, earning his

Doctorate in Canon Law Doctor of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Doctor, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD ...

in 1998. After returning to Atlanta, he was named as an officer of the archdiocesan tribunal and as director of vocations. Talley was named chancellor of the archdiocese in October 1999. He also served as chaplain to the disabilities ministry. Talley continued his studies in spiritual direction and spirituality at

Spring Hill College Spring Hill College is a private, Jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama. It was founded in 1830 by Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile. Along with being the oldest college or university in the state of Alabama, it was the first Catholic college in ...

in Mobile, Alabama.

Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta

On January 3, 2013,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

appointed Talley as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and titular bishop of

Lambaesis Lambaesis (Lambæsis), Lambaisis or Lambaesa (''Lambèse'' in colonial French), is a Roman archaeological site in Algeria, southeast of Batna and west of Timgad, located next to the modern village of Tazoult. The former bishopric is also a L ...

. He was consecrated on April 2, 2013 by Archbishop

Wilton Gregory Wilton Daniel Gregory (born December 7, 1947) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who is the archbishop of Washington, US. Pope Francis elevated him to the rank of cardinal on November 28, 2020. He is the first African-American cardi ...

. Talley became the first native-born Georgian to serve as a bishop in the archdiocese.

Bishop of Alexandria

On September 21, 2016, Talley was appointed as

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "c ...

of the Diocese of Alexandria by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

. He was installed on November 7, 2016. When Bishop Ronald Herzog retired on February 2, 2017, Talley automatically succeeded him as bishop of Alexandria.

Bishop of Memphis

On March 5, 2019, Francis appointed Talley as bishop of the Diocese of Memphis. He was installed on April 2, 2019. On February 28, 2020, the diocese released a list of 20 priests from the diocese with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors. After his installation as bishop, Talley had ordered a comprehensive review of prior

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

allegations, by the diocese and by an outside firm.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis Official Site

Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Talley, David Prescott Roman Catholic bishops of Alexandria Living people 1950 births Converts to Roman Catholicism from Baptist denominations People from Columbus, Georgia Clergy from Atlanta Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Roman Catholic bishops of Atlanta 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Knights of Peter Claver & Ladies Auxiliary Roman Catholic bishops of Memphis