Jeffrey Grob officially becomes Milwaukee’s 12th archbishop on Tuesday at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist with a carefull arranged installation that will be filled with tradition and symbolism.
Once a Dane County farm boy, Grob, 63, holds two doctorate degrees and spent much of his adult life in leadership in the Chicago archdiocese. He will introduce himself Tuesday to local civic and religious leaders and, more broadly, to Milwaukee’s roughly 500,000 faithful.
When he was announced as Pope Francis’ pick for Milwaukee archbishop in November, Grob said he wants to listen and engage with people at a grassroots level, and pledged to “roll up (his) sleeves and work.”
He takes over the 10-county archdiocese from Jerome Listecki, who led local Catholics through the clergy sex abuse bankruptcy and into relative stability over the last 14 years. But Grob will face a number of challenges in his tenure, especially how to deal with an ever-shrinking church and deep divisions over social and cultural issues.
How can someone watch the installation?
The event is not open to the general public because of limited seating in the cathedral. Those who are attending will have tickets to get in.
However, the public can watch the installation via livestream at https://tinyurl.com/mwr2ydfj. The livestream of the installation begins at 1:30 p.m.
Where did Grob spend his childhood?
Grob was born in 1961 and grew up milking Brown Swiss cows on a dairy farm in Cross Plains, just west of Madison.
He went to St. Francis Xavier Grade School in Cross Plains, and Holy Name High School Seminary in Madison.
His family’s farm is now a Christmas tree farm, the Catholic Herald reported.
Who is in Grob’s family?
Grob grew up as the only child in a home with his parents and paternal grandparents. His maternal grandmother ran a tavern in town.
His father, Gerald, died in a plane crash while on a fishing trip three years after Grob was ordained. His mother, Bonnie Grob, has lived with him for almost 20 years, according to the Catholic Herald. She moved in after she was diagnosed with cancer, and she has survived the disease returning three times.
Today Grob has four exotic birds as pets, including an African Gray parrot who mimics voices. As a kid he cared for wild animals on the farm, including several quail and an orphaned raccoon who would eat Tombstone pizzas the family cooked for it.
Jeffrey Grob, left, speaks to reporters at a news conference in November as then-archbishop Jerome Listecki looks on.
Where did Grob study?
Grob studied at several universities. He received his bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, and his master’s in divinity from University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois.
He has two doctorates: one in canon law from St. Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario, and one in philosophy from University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario.
His canon law doctoral dissertation was on the revision of the Rite of Exorcism, which he acknowledged in an interview is a “sensationalistic topic” that draws interest.
What did Grob do before arriving in Milwaukee?
Grob was ordained to the priesthood in 1992 in Chicago, at age 31.
He was a pastor at a parish in Winnetka, Illinois, in the 1990s and at another in Elmwood Park, Illinois, from 2008 to 2013.
He has also held a number of leadership positions in the Chicago archdiocese, including assistant to the chancellor, associate vicar for canonical services, court of appeals judge and chancellor.
He was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Chicago on Sept. 11, 2020, and ordained two months later. He was the archbishop’s liaison to lay ecclesial movements and new communities, which include Hispanic and Polish groups and other volunteer or mission-oriented associations.
In his four years as auxiliary bishop, he was been the vicar – or leader – of churches in Lake County and portions of northern Cook County. That territory includes Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Lake Forest, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, Schaumburg and Waukegan.
Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter who reports on religion and faith, immigrants and refugees and more. Contact her at scarson@gannett.com or 920-323-5758.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who is Milwaukee’s incoming archbishop? How to watch his installation.