Robert Henry Brom (September 18, 1938 – May 9, 2022) was 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 served as bishop of the
Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota, from 1983 to 1989, and as bishop of the
Diocese of San Diego in Southern California from 1990 to 2013.
Biography
Early life and priesthood
Brom was born in
Arcadia, Wisconsin
Arcadia is a city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Trempealeau River. The population was 3,737 at the 2020 census. Arcadia is a Latino-majority city and the largest city in Trempealeau county.
History
Arcadia was founde ...
, on September 18, 1938. Brom was ordained a priest of the
Diocese of Winona
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
on December 18, 1963.
Bishop of Duluth
On March 25, 1983,
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
appointed Brom as bishop of the Diocese of Duluth. He was consecrated on May 23, 1983 by Archbishop
John Roach at the
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth, Minnesota.
On April 22, 1989, Pope John Paul II appointed Brom as
coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...
of the Diocese of San Diego to assist Bishop
Leo Maher.
Bishop of San Diego
On July 10, 1990, after Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of Bishop Maher, Brom automatically became the new bishop of the Diocese of San Diego.
On September 7, 2007, the Diocese of San Diego agreed to a
$200 million settlement to victims of childhood sexual abuse by priests serving in the diocese since its founding in 1935. Brom apologized to the victims and said that the offenders' histories would be made public.
Brom was responsible for the creation of two Catholic high schools:
*
Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista, California, replacing Marian Catholic High School in
Imperial Beach, California
Imperial Beach is a residential beach city in San Diego County, California, with a population of 26,324 at the 2010 census. The city is the southernmost city in California and the West Coast of the United States. It is in the South Bay area ...
*
Cathedral Catholic High School
Cathedral Catholic High School (CCHS) is a private coeducational Catholic college preparatory day school in San Diego, California serving grades 9–12. It is operated by the Diocese of San Diego. It was founded in 1957 as the University High ...
in Carmel Valley, California, replacing University of San Diego High School in
Linda Vista, California
Linda Vista (Spanish language, Spanish for "Pretty View") is a community in San Diego, California, United States. Located east of Mission Bay, California, Mission Bay, north of Mission Valley, San Diego, California, Mission Valley, and south-east ...
Brom also created a pastoral center in San Diego after selling the former chancery building to the
University of San Diego
The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Schoo ...
.
On January 4, 2012, the
apostolic nuncio to the United States
The Apostolic Nunciature to the United States is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to the United States. It is located at 3339 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Embassy Row neighborhood. Since 2016 the nuncio has been ...
, Archbishop
Carlo Vigano, announced that
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 ...
had appointed Auxiliary Bishop
Cirilo Flores as coadjutor bishop to Brom in the diocese.
Catholic News Agency: "Bishop Cirilo Flores to help oversee San Diego diocese"
January 4, 2012
Retirement and legacy
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. ...
accepted Brom's resignation on the latter's 75th birthday, September 18, 2013. He was succeeded automatically by Bishop Flores. Robert Brom died in San Diego on May 9, 2022 at age 83.
See also
* Catholic Church hierarchy
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the Church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gif ...
* Catholic Church in the United States
With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the country's second largest religious grouping, after Protestantism, and the country's largest single church or Christian denomination where Protestantism is divided i ...
* Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
This is a historical list of all bishops of the Catholic Church whose sees were within the present-day boundaries of the United States, with links to the bishops who consecrated them. It includes only members of the United States Conference of Cat ...
* List of Catholic bishops of the United States
The following is a list of bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States, including its five inhabited territories.
The U.S. Catholic Church comprises:
* 176 Latin Church dioceses led by bishops
* 18 Eastern Catholic eparchies led by e ...
* Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
This is a directory of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops across various Christian denominations. To find an individual who was a bishop, see the most relevant article linked below or :Bishops.
Lists
Catholic
* Bishop in the Catholic Chur ...
References
External links
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brom, Robert Henry
1938 births
2022 deaths
People from Arcadia, Wisconsin
People from Winona, Minnesota
Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester
Roman Catholic bishops of Duluth
Roman Catholic bishops of San Diego
Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Catholics from Wisconsin