Ronald E. Pelotte, SSS, was the third Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico. He was the first person of Native American descent to become a Catholic bishop. He is also the only known Roman Catholic bishop to have ordained his own twin brother, Father Dana F. Pelotte, SSS, to the priesthood, on September 4, 1999 in their childhood parish of Waterville, Maine.

 He did his college studies at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, receiving a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy in 1969. He was ordained a priest on September 2, 1972. Later he pursued doctoral studies at Fordham University. His doctoral dissertation (1975) was entitled: John Courtney Murray, Theologian in Conflict: Roman Catholicism and the American Experience. This was later published in book form by Paulist Press.

At age 33, he became the Provincial Superior of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament and was the youngest major superior of a religious community of men in the United States at the time. On February 24, 1986, he was named Coadjutor Bishop of Gallup and was consecrated on May 6, 1986. Upon the retirement of Jerome J. Hastrich, then Bishop of Gallup on March 31, 1990, Bishop Pelotte became the Third Bishop of Gallup.

Since 1981, Bishop Pelotte had been a national board member of the Tekakwitha Conference - an organization for Native American Catholics - and was a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America and the American Catholic Historical Society.

Throughout Bishop Pelotte's 22 years of ministry in the Diocese of Gallup, his efforts concentrated on building the Church among Native American peoples around the country. He developed training programs for Native American deacons and lay ministers. The bishop chaired the Western Health Foundation, leading to the expansion of Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital. Bishop Pelotte also fought to keep Casa San Martin open to serve Gallup's homeless population. During his tenure as bishop, he was awarded two honorary doctorates.