William Hickley Gross | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Oregon City | |
 | |
| See | Archdiocese of Oregon City |
| Installed | March 31, 1885 |
| Term ended | November 14, 1898 |
| Predecessor | Charles John Seghers |
| Successor | Alexander Christie |
| Other post | Bishop of Savannah (1873–1885) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | March 21, 1863 by Francis Kenrick |
| Consecration | April 27, 1873 by James Roosevelt Bayley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1837-06-12)June 12, 1837 |
| Died | November 14, 1898(1898-11-14) (aged 61) Baltimore |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Education | St. Charles College |
| Motto | Lumen aeternum mundo effudit Latin: "She gave forth to the world the everlasting light" |
| Styles of William Hickley Gross | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style |
|
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
William Hickley Gross,C.Ss.R., (June 12, 1837 – November 14, 1898) was anAmerican Catholic prelate and member of theCongregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) who served asBishop of Savannah (1873–1885) andArchbishop of Oregon City (1885–1898).
William Gross was born on June 12, 1837, inBaltimore,Maryland, to Jacob and Rachel Haslett.[1] His father wasGerman and his mother wasIrish;[2] his paternal ancestors had immigrated to the United States fromAlsace during the 19th century.[3] Following his mother's death, William's sister took care of him and his five brothers.[1]
William Gross enrolled atSt. Charles College in Ellicott City, Maryland, at age 13.[4] In 1853, he returned to work in his father's store after St. Charles decided that he was not suited for thepriesthood.[5]
In 1857, Gross entered the Redemptoristnovitiate atAnnapolis, Maryland.[4] Following the outbreak in 1861 of theAmerican Civil War, the Redemptorists received permission from the Vatican to advance Gross toholy orders sooner than permitted underchurch law so that he could avoid themilitary draft.[5]
Gross wasordained into the priesthood in Annapolis for the Redemptorists by ArchbishopFrancis Kenrick on March 21, 1863.[6] After six months of studies,[1] the Redemptorists assigned Gross aschaplain to woundedUnion Army soldiers at an hospital in Annapolis.[4] He also operated a chapel at theparole camp in Annapolis forConfederate States Army prisoners of wars. Gross also worked with newly freed African-Americans.[5]
After the war, from 1865 to 1872, Gross served in a Redemptorist mission band, which attendedparochial missions throughout Maryland,New York, Florida, andGeorgia.[1][5] Gross spent three years in Baltimore recuperating from illness, then returned to Georgia. He later continued his missionary work in Baltimore and atSt. Alphonsus Ligouri Parish in New York City. Gross then went toBoston,Massachusetts, where he served assuperior of the Redemptorist community atOur Lady of Perpetual Help Mission.[5]
On February 14, 1873, Gross was appointed the fifth bishop of Savannah byPope Pius IX. He received hisepiscopal consecration on April 27, 1873, at theCathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore from ArchbishopJames Bayley, with BishopsThomas A. Becker andJames Gibbons serving asco-consecrators.[6] At age 36, Gross became the youngest member of theAmerican hierarchy.[5] He selected as his episcopal motto:"Lumen aeternum mundo effudit" (Latin: "She gave forth to the world the Everlasting Light").[7]
During his tenure in Savannah, Gross laid the cornerstone for theCathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 1873 and dedicated it in 1876.[2] In addition to erecting several churches, schools,orphanages, and hospitals, he opened a men's college atMacon, Georgia, introduced theJesuits andBenedictines to the diocese, and established a diocesan newspaper,The Southern Cross, in 1875.[1][2][5]
Pope Leo XIII appointed Gross as the third archbishop of Oregon City on February 1, 1885. He was installed on March 31, 1885.[6] During his tenure, Gross dedicatedSt. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, Oregon, in August 1885 acquired theCatholic Sentinel newspaper for the archdiocese, and founded theSisters of St. Mary of Oregon order in 1886.[5] Cardinal Gibbons invested him with thepallium in October 1887.
Gross openedMount Angel College in Saint Benedict, Oregon, in 1887, aminor seminary in 1889, and a senior citizens home in 1896; and presided over the Third Provincial Council of Oregon in 1891.[5]
After falling ill while giving aretreat for Redemptorist students in Annapolis, William Gross died on November 14, 1898, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Baltimore, at age 61.[5] His eloquence had led him to become known as "the silver tongued orator of the hierarchy."[3]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Savannah 1873–1885 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Oregon City 1885–1898 | Succeeded by |
