Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey S. Grob, a Cross Plains native, will be installed as the 12th archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the Vatican announced Monday.
Grob, 63, will succeed Jerome E. Listecki, who gave his notice of retirement on March 12, as bishops are required to do when they turn 75. Listecki has been Milwaukee’s archbishop since 2010.
Grob was ordained a bishop in the Archdiocese of Chicago in November 2020. He will be installed as archbishop of Milwaukee on Jan. 14 by the papal nuncio to the United States, Cardinal Christophe Pierre.
Grob will lead about 500,000 Catholics in 10 counties of southeastern Wisconsin. Listecki will continue to serve as archbishop until he is installed in January.
Among the key issues Grob will face: Slowing the trend of declining Mass attendance, maintaining Catholic schools’ enrollment numbers , contending with shifting public attitudes on social issues such as LGBTQ rights and abortion, reaching out to the poor and vulnerable, and continuing strides toward transparency on clergy sex abuse .