Robert Dwayne Gruss (born June 25, 1955) 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 ...

. He has served as the seventh bishop of the

Diocese of Saginaw The Diocese of Saginaw ( la, Dioecesis Saginavensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church covering eleven County (United States), counties in Michigan. It was founded on February 26, 1938; the first bish ...

in Michigan since 2019. Gruss previously served as the bishop of the

Diocese of Rapid City The Diocese of Rapid City ( la, Dioecesis Rapidopolitana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in western South Dakota, United States. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolis (reli ...

in South Dakota from 2011-2019. Bishop Gruss Rural Life Mass 2023 Octagon Barn

Biography

Early life

Robert Gruss was born in

Texarkana, Arkansas Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. The city is located across the state line from its twin city ...

on June 25, 1955. He has an associate degree from

Madison Area Technical College Madison Area Technical College (Madison College) is a public technical and community college based in Madison, Wisconsin. It serves students in parts of 12 counties in south-central Wisconsin: Adams, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, J ...

in Madison, Wisconsin. He earned his commercial pilot license from the

Spartan School of Aeronautics Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology (Spartan) is a private for-profit aviation college in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was originally established to provide pilot and technicians for Spartan Aircraft Company but outlived its parent company an ...

in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and worked as a flight instructor and commercial pilot from 1980 to 1989. Gruss began his studies for the priesthood at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa where he earned a

Bachelor of Theology The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a three- to five-year undergraduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, denomination, or parachurch organization. ...

degree in 1990. He earned a

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus; abbreviated STB), not to be confused with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred ...

degree in 1993 and a Master in Spiritual Theology degree in 1994 from the

Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the Christian liturgy, liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal (liturgy), ordinal for the ordination and consecration of dea ...

in Rome, Italy.

Priesthood

Gruss was ordained a priest for the

Diocese of Davenport The Diocese of Davenport ( la, Diœcesis Davenportensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Roman Catholicism in the United States, Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the United States, U.S. state of Iowa ...

by Bishop

William Franklin William Franklin (22 February 1730 – 17 November 1813) was an American-born attorney, soldier, politician, and colonial administrator. He was the acknowledged illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. William Franklin was the last colonial G ...

at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport on July 2, 1994. After his ordination, Gruss served as

parochial vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

from 1994 to 1997. He served in the same role for three parishes in central Iowa from 1997 to 1998; * St. Anthony in

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

* Sacred Heart in Melcher * St. Mary in

Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...

. 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 Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

from 2005 to 2007.

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 ...

named him a

chaplain of his holiness A Chaplain of His Holiness is a priest to whom the Pope has granted this title. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges with respect to ecclesiastical dress and vestments. Gruss served as the vice-rector of the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Pri ...

in Rome from 2007 to 2010. From 2010 to 2011, he served as pastor and rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish in Davenport.

Bishop of Rapid City

Gruss was named the bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City by Benedict XVI on May 26, 2011. His episcopal consecration took place on July 28, 2011, at the

Rushmore Plaza Civic Center The Monument, formerly known as Rushmore Plaza Civic Center and Rushmore Plaza, is a exhibition center, in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Monument is the main event center for the Black Hills Region, serving Western South Dakota, South West North ...

in Rapid City, South Dakota. Archbishop John Nienstedt was the consecrating bishop, and Bishops Martin Amos and Samuel Aquila were the co-consecrators. In 2017, Gruss opened the cause for the canonization of

Lakota Lakota may refer to: * Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples Place names In the United States: * Lakota, Iowa * Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County * La ...

medicine man Nicholas Black Elk.

Bishop of Saginaw

Gruss was named the bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw 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. ...

on May 24, 2019. In remarks to the media, Gruss made this statement about

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 ...

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.”

Bishop Gruss on Harley Motorcycle for Charity Ride

Gruss was installed on July 26, 2019.

Personal life

In an appearance on a Saginaw Diocese podcast, ''Cause for Joy,'' Gruss revealed his hobbies of riding "horses and Harleys". As well as his affection for his loyal companion, Coco, a dog which he rescued shortly after his installment in Saginaw.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw Official Site

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gruss, Robert Dwayne 1955 births Living people People from Texarkana, Arkansas People from Tulsa, Oklahoma People from Madison, Wisconsin People from Davenport, Iowa Madison Area Technical College alumni St. Ambrose University alumni Pontifical North American College alumni Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport Roman Catholic bishops of Rapid City Roman Catholic bishops of Saginaw Catholics from Wisconsin Catholics from Oklahoma Catholics from Iowa Catholics from Arkansas