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.

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