Robert Brom


Robert Henry Brom is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the seventh Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth in Duluth, Minnesota between 1983 until 1989, and the fourth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego in San Diego, California from 1990 to 2013.

Life and ministry

Brom was born in Arcadia, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin on September 18, 1938. He was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona in Winona, Minnesota on December 18, 1963. On March 25, 1983, Brom was appointed Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth. He was consecrated on May 23 of the same year.
On April 22, 1989, Brom was appointed as coadjutor bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. On July 10, 1990, he was installed as Bishop of San Diego.

Abuse scandal

Under Bishop Brom the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego agreed to a $198.1 million settlement to victims of childhood sexual abuse by priests serving in the diocese since its founding in 1935. Bishop Brom apologized and said that the offenders' histories would be made public.

High schools and other developments

Bishop Brom was responsible for the creation of two Catholic high schools: Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista, California, which replaced Marian Catholic High School in Imperial Beach, California, and Cathedral Catholic High School in Carmel Valley, California, which replaced University of San Diego High School. He was also responsible for the creation of a Pastoral Center on Paducah Drive in San Diego after selling the former Chancery to the University of San Diego.

Coadjutor named

On Wednesday, January 4, 2012, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, announced that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed Auxiliary Bishop Cirilo Flores of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange as the Coadjutor Bishop to Bishop Brom in the Diocese of San Diego.
Flores served as Bishop Brom's chief Vicar General with the automatic right of succession as diocesan Bishop when Bishop Brom retired, died, or became incapacitated.
Pope Francis accepted Brom's resignation on the latter's 75th birthday, September 18, 2013. He was succeeded automatically by Bishop Cirilo Flores.