William Hickley Gross, C.Ss.R., (June 12, 1837 – November 14, 1898) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who was a member of the

Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

. He served as

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the Diocese of Savannah in Georgia (1873–1885) and archbishop of the

Archdiocese of Oregon City The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (''Archidioecesis Portlandensis in Oregonia'') is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It encompasses the western part of the state of Oregon, from the s ...

in Oregon (1885–1898).

Biography

Early life and education

William Gross was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, to Jacob and Rachel Haslett. His father was

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and his mother was

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

; his paternal ancestors came to the United States from

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

during the 19th century. Following his mother's death, his sister took care of William and his five brothers. He enrolled at St. Charles College in Ellicott City, Maryland, at age 13. In 1853 he returned to work in his father's store after St. Charles decided that he was not suited for the priesthood. In 1857, Gross entered the novitiate of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (more commonly known as the Redemptorists) at Annapolis, Maryland.Following the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, the Redemptorists received permission from the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

to advance Gross to Holy Orders sooner than permitted in

Church law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

in order for him to avoid the

military draft Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...

Priesthood

Gross was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

into the priesthood by for the Redemptorist Order by Archbishop

Francis Kenrick Francis Patrick Kenrick (December 3, 1796 or 1797 – July 8, 1863) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third Bishop of the Diocese of Philadelphia (1842–1851) and the sixth Archbishop of the Archdiocese o ...

on March 21, 1863. After six months of studies, Gross was assigned as chaplain to wounded soldiers in Annapolis. He also operated a chapel for

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

prisoners of war on the outskirts of Baltimore, and worked with freed African-Americans. From 1865 to 1872, Gross served in a Redemptorist mission band, which performed at parochial missions throughout Maryland, New York, Florida, and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Gross, after recuperating his health in Baltimore over the next three years, returned to Georgia and thence continued his missionary work in Baltimore and at St. Alphonsus Ligouri Parish in New York City. He then went to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, where he served as superior of the Redemptorist community at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mission.

Bishop of Savannah

On February 14, 1873, Gross was appointed the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Savannah by Pope Pius IX. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on April 27, 1873, at the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore from Archbishop James Bayley, with Bishops Thomas A. Becker and

James Gibbons James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth ...

serving as co-consecrators. At age 36, Gross became the youngest member of the American hierarchy. He selected as his episcopal

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

: ''"Lumen Aeternum Mundo Effudit"'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: "

She She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...

gave forth to the world the Everlasting Light"). During his tenure in Savannah, Gross laid the

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in November 1873 and dedicated it in April 1876. In addition to erecting several churches, schools,

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...

s, and hospitals, he opened a men's

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

at Macon, Georgia, introduced into the diocese the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

and Benedictines, and established a diocesan

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, ''The Southern Cross'', in 1875.

Archbishop of Oregon City

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

appointed Gross as the third Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oregon City on February 1, 1885. He was Installed on March 31, 1885. During his tenure, Gross dedicated St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, Oregon, on August 1885' acquired the '' Catholic Sentinel'' for the archdiocese, and founded the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon in 1886. Cardinal Gibbons invested him with the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropol ...

in October 1887. Gross opened Mount Angel College in

Saint Benedict, Oregon Saint Benedict is the name of the post office at Mount Angel Abbey in Marion County, Oregon, United States. When it moved from Gervais to the town of Mt. Angel in 1884, the postal service would not allow the abbey to establish its own post o ...

, in 1887, a

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and de ...

in 1889, and an elderly home in 1896; and presided over the Third Provincial Council of Oregon in 1891.

Death

After falling ill while giving a retreat for Redemptorist students in Annapolis, William Gross died on November 14, 1898, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Baltimore, aged 61. He was buried at Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery in Baltimore. His eloquence had led him to become known as "the silver tongued orator of the hierarchy."

References

External links

*
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon

Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gross, William Hickley 1837 births 1898 deaths Religious leaders from Baltimore Union Army chaplains Redemptorist bishops 19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Roman Catholic archbishops of Oregon City Roman Catholic bishops of Savannah, Georgia Mount Angel Seminary Burials at Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery (Baltimore)