GARY – Robert Ross will be ordained a Roman Catholic priest on Saturday, June 3, at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels, but he knows he will need some time “to grow into being a Father.
“I am most looking forward to a greater identification as a spiritual Father, but it will take some time,” he said as he prepared to conclude a year as a transitional deacon and seminary student and join the Diocese of Gary as its newest priest.
“I don’t have a people to claim as my own (yet),” he added. “At St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Wisconsin, I was the only guy in a class of 13 from the Diocese of Gary. My classmates assisted at local parishes in their diocese.”
The Highland native counts St. Stephen, Martyr in Merrillville, where his uncle, Father Michael Maginot, is the administrator, as his home parish, and he is eager to celebrate his first Mass of Thanksgiving there at 9 a.m. on Sunday, June 4, with his brother, Father Benjamin Ross, pastor at St. Bridget in Hobart, preaching the homily. Assisting at the Mass will be newly-ordained transitional deacons Steven Caraher and Zachary Glick.
“That first Mass will be very special, especially the moment of consecration,” said the newest Father Ross, who revealed that he and his classmates have been practicing the consecration of the Body and Blood at the seminary. “Now, however, it will be the ‘real deal,’ a moment of awe. How can I be doing this – acting for God?” he noted.
Beginning July 1, Father Robert Ross will begin his first priestly assignment as associate pastor at St. Michael the Archangel in Schererville, where he will be mentored by Father Martin Dobrzynski, pastor and diocesan director of the Office of Worship.
“I hope to get a feel for parish life and how I can serve from the Saturday night dinners that I’ve heard Father Marty has with priests from around the diocese,” Father Ross said. “I want to get to know the people and share their life with them.”
St. Michael has a school, another joy for the new priest. “Children are so trusting, rushing up to hug you and seeing you as a father figure, and with that comes a kind of gravitas,” he admitted. “I went to public school, with many restrictions; now I (will be able to) walk into a classroom for a visit.”
Father Robert Ross’ education in the School Town of Highland began with grades K-6 at Merkley Elementary School, grades 7-8 at Highland Middle School and grades 9-12 at Highland High School. Entering seminary, he did his college undergraduate work at Marian University’s Bishop Simon Brute College Seminary in Indianapolis, then headed to Sacred Heart Seminary and the School on Theology at St. Francis de Sales.
His summer assignments during seminary included Queen of All Saints, Michigan City – 2017; St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Student Center, Valparaiso – 2018; St. Matthias, Crown Point – 2019; St. Francis Xavier, Lake Station – 2020; and Holy Spirit, Winfield – 2022.
A year ago, immediately after his diaconate ordination, Father Ross made a special effort to polish his preaching skills by observing Father Nate Edquist at Holy Family Parish in LaPorte, preaching every Monday, Friday and on weekends at the trio of churches. “I was taught to write down my homilies, but I came to feel like I was reading to the people more than speaking to them, so I began just jotting down a few notes and that helped my preaching become more natural, even if it varied a bit from Saturday’s Mass to Sunday morning.”
His most joyful experience during his past year was a trip he almost didn’t take to Fatima, Portugal with his parents, Thomas and Rose Ann Ross. “My Dad works for the Blue Army (of Our Lady of Fatima) in New Jersey, while my Mom is back home in Highland, and he had never been to Fatima, so his boss gave my parents a trip to Portugal this spring, and they asked Father Ben and I to go with them. My brother couldn’t go because of his parish responsibilities, and I was going to pass, too, but it was my spring break and I decided time (with them) was more important than money and booked the trip,” explained Father Robert Ross, who soon found out that a benefactor had gifted each graduating seminarian at St. Francis de Sales with a stipend that would largely cover his expenses.
“God does work in mysterious ways, and I started to believe I had made the right decision,” he added. “Just being there with my parents, where Our Lady appeared to the children, made it so special. When I saw the very ordinary place where she came to them, I realized that she’ll appear anywhere.
“I felt a lot of freedom, a lot of peace, and I felt close to Mary and the three children,” he explained. “I was able to preach outdoors at the Chapel of the Apparition.”
As he takes the biggest step forward on his spiritual journey, Father Ross has one request for the people of the Diocese of Gary. “Pray for me,” he said. “I have really experienced as I’ve gotten closer to the priesthood that I’ve made it clear to the enemy (Satan) that I’m a captain now, and like all priests, I need the prayers of the people.”