Robert D. Gruss

Styles of
**Robert Dwayne Gruss**
Styles of; Robert Dwayne Gruss
Reference style	His Excellency; The Most Reverend;
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

The Most Reverend

Robert Dwayne Gruss
The Most Reverend; Robert Dwayne Gruss
Bishop of Saginaw
	Bishop Gruss in 2012; at Ellsworth Air Force Base
Church	Roman Catholic Church
See	Diocese of Saginaw
Appointed	May 24, 2019
Installed	July 26, 2019
Predecessor	Joseph R. Cistone
Orders
Ordination	July 2, 1994; by William Edwin Franklin
Consecration	July 28, 2011; by John Clayton Nienstedt, Martin John Amos, Samuel J. Aquila
Personal details
Born	June 25, 1955 (age 68); Texarkana, Arkansas, US
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Rapid City; (2011-2019); Vice-Rector, Pontifical North American College; (2007–2010);
Education	St. Ambrose University; Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Motto	No Greater Love

Robert Dwayne Gruss (born June 25, 1955) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has served as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw in Michigan since 2019. Gruss previously served as the bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City in South Dakota from 2011-2019.

Early life and education

Robert Gruss was born in Texarkana, Arkansas on June 25, 1955.^[1]^[2] He has an associate degree from Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin. He earned his commercial pilot license from the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and worked as a flight instructor and commercial pilot from 1980 to 1989.^[1]

Gruss began his studies for the priesthood at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa where he earned a Bachelor of Theology degree in 1990. He earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1993 and a Master in Spiritual Theology degree in 1994 from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy.^[3]

Priesthood

Gruss was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Davenport by Bishop William Franklin at Sacred Heart Cathedral on July 2, 1994.^[2]^[4]After his ordination, Gruss served as parochial vicar of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Davenport, Iowa from 1994 to 1997. He served in the same role for three parishes in central Iowa from 1997 to 1998; they include St. Anthony Parish in Knoxville, Sacred Heart Parish in Melcher, and St. Mary Parish in Pella. He then served as the pastor in Pella from 1999 to 2004.

Gruss was the diocesan vocations director from 2004 to 2007, and diocesan chancellor from 2005 to 2007. Pope Benedict XVI named him a chaplain of his holiness, with the title monsignor, in August 2007.^[5] Gruss served as the vice-rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome from 2007 to 2010.^[1] From 2010 to 2011, he served as pastor and rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish in Davenport.^[1]

Bishop of Rapid City

Gruss was named the bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City by Benedict XVI on May 26, 2011.^[3] His episcopal consecration took place on July 28, 2011 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, South Dakota.^[6] Archbishop John Nienstedt was the consecrating bishop, and Bishop Martin Amos and Bishop Samuel Aquila were the co-consecrators.^[2]

In 2017, Gruss opened the cause for canonization of Lakota medicine man Nicholas Black Elk.^[7]

Bishop of Saginaw

Gruss was named the bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw by Pope Francis on May 24, 2019. In remarks to the media, Gruss made this statement about sexual abuse by priests:

“There is no place in the church for sexual abuse of minors or anyone else, My desire is that the Church becomes holy in the way that Christ calls her to be, and those who abuse their power and authority are held to accountability.”^[8]

Gruss was installed on July 26, 2019.^[7] ^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Staff (May 24, 2019). "US: Pope Appoints New Bishop of Saginaw". Zenit.org.
^ ^a ^b ^c David M. Cheney. "Bishop Robert Dwayne Gruss". catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Pope Names Bishop for Rapid City, South Dakota; Auxiliary Bishop for Milwaukee". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
^ "Diocese of Rapid City". GCatholic.org. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
^ Heather Jordan (May 24, 2019). "New bishop named for Catholic Diocese of Saginaw". MLive. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
^ Garrigan, Mary. "Rapid City Catholics prepare for ordination of new bishop". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Former airline pilot appointed to lead diocese of Saginaw, MI". Catholic News Agency. May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
^ "New Saginaw Catholic bishop pledges transparency in priest sexual abuse allegations". Michigan Radio. May 24, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
^ "Pope Francis Names Bishop Robert Gruss as 7th Bishop of Saginaw". Retrieved May 24, 2019.

External links

Media related to Robert Gruss at Wikimedia Commons

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Joseph R. Cistone	Bishop of Saginaw 2019–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Blase J. Cupich	Bishop of Rapid City 2011–2019	Succeeded by Peter Michael Muhich

[Zenit-1] Staff (May 24, 2019). "US: Pope Appoints New Bishop of Saginaw". Zenit.org.

[catholic-hierarchy-2] David M. Cheney. "Bishop Robert Dwayne Gruss". catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved May 27, 2011.

[usccb-3] "Pope Names Bishop for Rapid City, South Dakota; Auxiliary Bishop for Milwaukee". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 26, 2011.

[GCatholic-4] "Diocese of Rapid City". GCatholic.org. Retrieved May 26, 2011.

[Jordan-5] Heather Jordan (May 24, 2019). "New bishop named for Catholic Diocese of Saginaw". MLive. Retrieved May 24, 2019.

[Garrigan-6] Garrigan, Mary. "Rapid City Catholics prepare for ordination of new bishop". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved July 28, 2011.

[CNA-7] "Former airline pilot appointed to lead diocese of Saginaw, MI". Catholic News Agency. May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.

[8] "New Saginaw Catholic bishop pledges transparency in priest sexual abuse allegations". Michigan Radio. May 24, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2021.

[9] "Pope Francis Names Bishop Robert Gruss as 7th Bishop of Saginaw". Retrieved May 24, 2019.

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v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw
Bishops	William Francis Murphy Stephen Stanislaus Woznicki Francis Frederick Reh Kenneth Edward Untener Robert James Carlson Joseph R. Cistone Robert Dwayne Gruss
Churches	Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption List of churches
Education	High schools All Saints Central High School, Bay City Nouvel Catholic Central High School, Saginaw Sacred Heart Academy High School, Mt. Pleasant
Catholicism portal

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City
Bishops	Bishops of Lead John Stariha Joseph Francis Busch Bishops of Rapid City John Jeremiah Lawler William Tibertus McCarty Harold Joseph Dimmerling Charles J. Chaput Blase J. Cupich Robert Dwayne Gruss Peter Michael Muhich Coadjutor Leo Ferdinand Dworschak
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Historic St. Lawrence O'Toole Catholic Church, Central City St. Augustine Church, Dallas St. Martin's Catholic Church and Grotto, Oelrichs St. John's Catholic Church, Paxton Church of the Immaculate Conception, Rapid City St. Charles Borromeo Church, St. Francis
Education	High schools Red Cloud High School, Pine Ridge St. Thomas More High School, Rapid City
Priests	Steven Biegler Lawrence Welsh
Catholicism portal

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport
Bishops	Ordinaries John McMullen Henry Cosgrove James J. Davis Henry P. Rohlman Ralph L. Hayes Gerald F. O’Keefe William E. Franklin Martin J. Amos Thomas R. Zinkula Auxiliary Edward Howard
Churches	List List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral Parishes Church of St. John the Baptist, Burlington St. Paul's Church, Burlington St. Anthony’s Church, Davenport Holy Family Parish, Fort Madison St. Patrick's Church, Georgetown St. Mary’s Church, Iowa City St. Patrick's Church, Iowa City Church of All Saints, Keokuk St. Mary's Church, Nichols St. Mary of the Visitation Church, Ottumwa St. Mary's Church, Riverside Former parishes St. Joseph's Church, Bauer Saints Peter and Paul Church, Clear Creek St. Boniface Church, Clinton St. Irenaeus Church, Clinton St. Joseph's Church, Davenport St. Mary’s Church, Davenport St. Joseph's Church, Fort Madison St. Michael's Church, Holbrook Saints Peter and Paul Church, Solon
Education	Higher education St. Ambrose University High schools Assumption High School, Davenport Holy Trinity Catholic Schools (HS), Fort Madison Notre Dame High School, Burlington Prince of Peace Preparatory, Clinton Regina High School, Iowa City Former Aquinas Schools, Fort Madison Cardinal Stritch High School, Keokuk Immaculate Conception Academy, Davenport Marquette Catholic Schools (HS), West Point Marycrest College St. Mary’s Academy
Priests	William Lawrence Adrian John George Alleman Ambrose Burke Edward Catich William J. Collins Martin Cone Maurice John Dingman John Flannagan Robert Dwayne Gruss William Hannon Ulrich Hauber Cletus Madsen Carl Meinberg Sebastian Menke Marvin Mottet J. A. M. Pelamourgues Aloysius Schulte William Shannahan Lawrence Donald Soens
Miscellany	Ambrose Hall Henry Kahl House Antoine LeClaire House F.H. Miller House Regina Coeli Monastery Mount Calvary Cemetery, Davenport St. Joseph Hospital, Ottumwa Old St. Mary's Rectory, Iowa City St. Thomas More Parish Center Pacem in Terris Award Selma Schricker House
Catholicism portal