Early life

Raised in a Presbyterian family, James Conley was born on March 19, 1955, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Carl and Betty Conley. He has one sister by adoption, Susan. Conley is of Wea Native American descent through his paternal grandmother's family. The family moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1957 and to Arvada, Colorado, in 1959.^[1][2][3]

Conley attended Hoskinson Cottage School in Arvada before moving to Overland Park, Kansas, at age eight. Conley graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, in 1973, and then entered the University of Kansas (KU) in Lawrence, Kansas. Due to his Native American heritage, the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs paid for a portion of his college education. Conley studied in KU's Integrated Humanities Program, whose courses on Greek and Roman classics led him to convert to Catholicism during his junior year of college on December 6, 1975.^[1][3]

Conley obtained a bachelor's degree in English Literature from KU in 1977, and then worked in construction in Kansas City, Kansas, before traveling through Europe. He considered a monastic vocation while staying at the Abbey of Notre Dame de Fontgombault in Fontgombault, France.^[1]

Conley returned to Kansas in 1978, and worked on a friend's farm near Courtland, Kansas. In 1980, he decided to pursue a vocation to the priesthood and entered St. Pius X Seminary in Erlanger, Kentucky. Conley later studied at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1985.^[1]

Priesthood

Conley was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita by Bishop Eugene Gerber for the Diocese of Wichita on May 18, 1985.^[4] After his 1984 ordination, the diocese assigned Conley as associate pastor at St. Patrick Parish in Wichita

In 1989, Conley went to Rome to attend the Alphonsian Academy of the Pontifical Lateran University. He received a Licentiate in Moral Theology in 1991.^[3] After his return to Kansas in 1991, Conley was appointed as chaplain of the Newman Center at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas, and diocesan director of the Respect Life Office.^[5] His parents converted to Catholicism in 1991; Conley administered the sacraments of baptism and confirmation to them.^[1]

In 1996, the Vatican appointed Conley to the Congregation for Bishops in Rome.^[1] He was also named as chaplain at the University of Dallas' Rome campus. He left his chaplain position in 1997 to serve as adjunct instructor of theology at the Rome Campus of Christendom College's Rome campus.^[1] He was raised to the rank of chaplain of his holiness by Pope John Paul II on February 9, 2001.^[1]

Returning to Wichita in 2006 after ten years in Rome, Conley was named pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Wichita.^[3]

Auxiliary Bishop of Denver

On April 10, 2008, Conley was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Denver and titular bishop of Cissa by Pope Benedict XVI. ^[4]He was consecrated on May 30, 2008, by Archbishop Charles Chaput, with Bishop Michael Jackels and Archbishop Paul S. Coakley serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.^[4] His episcopal motto, "Cor Ad Cor Loquitur (Latin: "Heart Speaks To Heart"), is taken from the motto of Cardinal John Newman.^[1]

Speaking on the Affordable Care Act for expanded health insurance coverage that was proposed by the Obama Administration in November 2009, Conley stated that Catholic bishops:

"have a few simple but important priorities. First, everyone should have access to basic health care, including immigrants...Second, reform should respect the dignity of every person, from conception to natural death... Third, real healthcare reform needs to include explicit, ironclad conscience protections for medical professionals and institutions so that they cannot be forced to violate their moral convictions. Fourth—and this is so obvious it sometimes goes unstated—any reform must be economically realistic and financially sustainable."^[6]

In September 2011, when the Vatican appointed Chaput as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Conley was named apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Denver. He fulfilled this responsibility until July 2012, when the Vatican named Bishop Samuel Aquila as the new archbishop of Denver.^[4]

Bishop of Lincoln

On September 14, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Conley as bishop of Lincoln, succeeding Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz. Conley was installed on November 20, 2012, at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln.^[7][8]

In 2003, the diocese had participated in the first audit of implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young PeopleHowever, Bruskewitz later declined to participate in later audits, claiming that he was awaiting refinements to the audit process.^[9] In 2015, Conley announced that the diocese would now fully participate in the charter audits.^[10]

On December 13, 2019, Conley announced that he was taking a medical leave of absence to treat depression, anxiety, insomnia, and tinnitus. The Vatican appointed Archbishop George Lucas was appointed to serve as apostolic administrator of the diocese during Conley’s leave of absence.^[11] Conley returned to active service on November 13, 2020.^[12]