Father Ley was sent to Guam, where he was taken prisoner by the Japanese army during World War II.[3] He was held prisoner of war at Kobe, Japan. After World War II, he was sent to Okinawa.
On March 11, 1968, Pope Paul VI appointed Felix Ley the apostolic administrator of the Okinawa and the Southern Islands/Ryukyus, and he was consecrated bishop on June 9, 1968.[4]