William Hickley Gross

William Hickley Gross, C.Ss.R., (June 12, 1837 – November 14, 1898) was an American Catholic prelate and member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) who served as Bishop of Savannah (1873–1885) and Archbishop of Oregon City (1885–1898).

Biography

Early life and education William Gross was born on June 12, 1837, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Jacob and Rachel Haslett. His father was German and his mother was Irish; his paternal ancestors had immigrated to the United States from Alsace during the 19th century. Following his mother's death, William's sister took care of him and his five brothers. 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 Redemptorist novitiate at Annapolis, Maryland. After six months of studies,

During his tenure in Savannah, Gross laid the cornerstone for the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 1873 and dedicated it in 1876. In addition to erecting several churches, schools, orphanages, and hospitals, he opened a men's college at Macon, Georgia, introduced the Jesuits and Benedictines to the diocese, and established a diocesan newspaper, The Southern Cross, in 1875.

Archbishop of Oregon City Pope Leo XIII appointed Gross as the third archbishop 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, in August 1885 acquired the Catholic Sentinel newspaper for the archdiocese, and founded the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon order in 1886. Cardinal Gibbons invested him with the pallium in October 1887.

Gross opened Mount Angel College in Saint Benedict, Oregon, in 1887, a minor seminary in 1889, and a senior citizens 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, at age 61. His eloquence had led him to become known as "the silver tongued orator of the hierarchy."