in Gagetown, Michigan (2023)
Early life Robert Gruss was born in
Texarkana, Arkansas, on June 25, 1955. He attended
Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin, earning an
associate degree. Gruss then received his
commercial pilot license from the
Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He worked as a flight instructor and commercial
airline pilot from 1980 to 1989. He is a member of the
National Association of Priest Pilots.
Priesthood After returning to Iowa, Gruss was ordained a priest for the
Diocese of Davenport by Bishop
William Franklin at
Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport on July 2, 1994. After his 1994 ordination, the diocese assigned Gruss as
parochial vicar of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in
Davenport, Iowa. He served the same role for three parishes in central Iowa from 1997 to 1998; • St. Anthony in
Knoxville • Sacred Heart in
Melcher • St. Mary in
Pella. He was appointed pastor at St. Mary in 1999.Gruss returned to Rome in 2007 to serve as vice-rector of the
Pontifical North American College. Archbishop
John Nienstedt was the consecrating bishop, and Bishops
Martin Amos and
Samuel Aquila were the co-consecrators.
Bishop of Saginaw Gruss was named
Bishop of Saginaw by
Pope Francis on May 24, 2019. Gruss was installed on July 26, 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.” In an appearance on
Cause for Joy, a diocesan
podcast, Gruss revealed his hobbies of riding "horses and Harleys". ==See also==