Andrew Gregory Grutka (November 17, 1908 – November 11, 1993) was an American prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as first bishop of the Diocese of Gary in Indiana from 1956 to 1984.

Biography

Early life

Andrew Grutka was born on November 17, 1908, in Joliet,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, the son of Slovak immigrants from

Spišská Stará Ves Spišská Stará Ves (german: Alt(en)dorf; hu, Szepesófalu or hu, Ófalu; pl, (Stara) Spiska Wieś; la, Antiqua Villa; Goral: Golembarg) is a small town and urban municipality in Kežmarok District in the Prešov Region of north Slovakia. P ...

. He studied for the priesthood at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Grutka was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

on December 5, 1933, by Cardinal Francesco Selvaggiani for the Diocese of Fort Wayne. Grutka was serving as the

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of Holy Trinity Parish in

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the sou ...

, on his final pastoral assignment.

Bishop of Gary

On December 29, 1956, Grutka was named bishop of the newly created Diocese of Gary by

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

Pius XII Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia. It may refer to: People Popes * Pope Pius (disambiguation) * Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect Given name * Pius ...

. He was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop

Amleto Giovanni Cicognani Amleto Giovanni Cicognani (24 February 1883 – 17 December 1973) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Vatican Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969, and Dean of the College of Cardinals from 1972 until his death. C ...

Bishops

John Cody John Patrick Cody (December 24, 1907 – April 25, 1982) was an American bishop and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. A native of St. Louis, he served as Bishop of Kansas City–Saint Joseph (1956–1961), Archbishop of New Orleans (196 ...

and Leo Pursley were the principal co-consecrators. From 1962 to 1965, Grutka attended all four sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

in Rome and was responsible for implementing the council's reforms in the diocese. In 1959,

Andrean High School Andrean High School is a co-educational, college preparatory secondary school in Merrillville, Indiana. It is located in the Diocese of Gary. The school was founded in 1959, and named for St. Andrew, the patron saint of the first bishop of the di ...

in Merrillville, Indiana, was named for his patron, Andrew the Apostle.

Retirement and legacy

Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

accepted Grutka's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Gary on July 9, 1984. After his resignation, Grutka remained active in the diocese, ministering to parishioners. Andrew Grutka died at his home in

Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. History The site of present-day Valparaiso was included in the purchase of land from the ...

, on November 11, 1993, at age 85. He was entombed in the east transept of Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grutka, Andrew Gregory 1908 births 1993 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from Joliet, Illinois People from Gary, Indiana Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend Roman Catholic bishops of Gary Catholics from Illinois American people of Slovak descent