It was a full house for the Dec. 1 First Friday Club of Cleveland program when Auxiliary Bishop emeritus Roger Gries shared the story of his life as a Benedictine monk, teacher, coach, school administrator, prior, abbot and auxiliary bishop of Cleveland. In attendance were fellow priests, monks, students from some Catholic high schools – including a contingent from Benedictine – friends and admirers of the beloved bishop.
Introducing Bishop Gries was Bishop Martin Amos, retired bishop of Davenport, Iowa, who was ordained a bishop with Bishop Gries in 2001. Both served as auxiliary bishops in the diocese until, as Bishop Gries explained it, “Bishop Amos jumped ship” in 2006 when he was appointed bishop of Davenport. He retired in 2017 and moved back to Cleveland, his home diocese.
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“We’re like the ‘Odd Couple,’” said Bishop Amos, describing himself and his friend and fellow bishop. “I’m Felix (Unger),” he added, laughing as he noted that Felix is organized, neat and well-read in the play and television show.
“He broke the hearts of many girls,” Bishop Amos said of Bishop Gries, pointing out he was a star football player and captain on the championship Benedictine High School football team and an honor student. “He decided to become a monk.”
Bishop Gries entered the Benedictine Order of Cleveland in 1956, professed his first vows in 1957 and made his final vows in 1960. He was ordained a priest in 1963. From 1964-2001 he served at Benedictine and St. Andrew Abbey in various positions including math teacher, football coach, bus driver, transportation director, assistant principal, dean of men, principal, prior and abbot.
In 2001, when then Abbot Gries was thinking about retirement, both men were named auxiliary bishops of Cleveland and ordained on the same day, June 7. Bishop Amos recalled a photo that was taken for the diocesan newspaper, the Catholic Universe Bulletin.
“I had a circular saw and a hammer and was ready to work. Bishop Gries had a football and a golf club,” he said, laughing. “In 2012, he was ready to retire (again) and God laughed (again),” he quipped.
“He has continued to work and contribute in so many ways,” Bishop Amos said, adding, “He is one of God’s favorite servants.”
Bishop Gries told the group his father spent three years discerning the priesthood at Saint Mary Seminary before deciding that wasn’t his calling. His mother spent several months discerning a vocation a Sister of Charity of St. Augustine before leaving the convent. They were introduced not long after, fell in love, married “And voila! Here I am,” he quipped.
His baptismal name is William Joseph Gries, but Benedictine monks receive a new name when they take vows. “I really wanted the name Roger,” he said, and since none of the other monks had that name, he thought it would be his. However, he learned the abbot wanted three suggested names to pick from. “So I gave him Valentine and Axel, figuring he wouldn’t pick those. Who wants a monk named Axel Gries?” he added, laughing.
Bishop Gries reminisced about his early years at Benedictine and the many positions he had. In 2001, as he neared his 65th birthday, the congregational retirement age for the abbot, he considered retirement. However, he got a call asking him to come downtown for a meeting with Bishop Anthony Pilla.
“I wondered which monk was in trouble,” he quipped, never suspecting that Pope John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of the diocese.
His motto as abbot was “To be loved, not feared,” which he kept as bishop. But something else changed.
“I had been known as Father Roger, Prior Roger and Abbot Roger. Now they called me Bishop Gries and no one knew who I was,” he said. Gradually, he also became known as Bishop Roger.
With four auxiliary bishops in the diocese, Bishop Gries said each was assigned to a geographic area. Bishop Edward Pevec was the auxiliary for the eastern region; Bishop James Quinn, west; Bishop Amos, south. “And I got Cuyahoga County,” he said. “Bishop Pilla was a great delegator. His desk was always clean,” he recalled, noting the auxiliaries were assigned tasks and reported back to him.
Things were changing in the diocese during the early 2000s, with many people moving to the suburbs. Bishop Pilla created the Vibrant Parish Life program, hoping to streamline parishes and better utilize resources. A second phase was launched prior to Bishop Pilla’s retirement due to poor health. Bishop Richard Lennon replaced him and picked up the work.
He noted that Bishop Lennon spent a great deal of time reviewing the recommendations, seeking additional input and a recommendation from presbyteral council before parishes were closed. As diocesan shepherd, Bishop Lennon felt it was his job to celebrate the closing Masses, which led to some difficult times. But there were some success stories, he said mentioning the merger of St. Robert and St. William parishes in Euclid. Bishop Lennon also launched the Rooted in Faith capital campaign, which – despite the angst after diocesan reconfiguration – was very successful. Its goal was $125 million for the priest retirement fund, seminaries, cathedral renovations and other needs. “The final pledges totaled $175 million,” Bishop Gries said, crediting Bishop Lennon’s persistence with leaving the diocese on solid ground when he retired in late 2016 for health reasons.
“There was a side of his personality that many didn’t see,” Bishop Gries said, recalling conversations they had while driving to and from Columbus for bishops’ meetings. He said Bishop Pilla preferred to travel in silence and to meditate.
He remembered when he and Bishop Amos got global positioning systems – Garmins with a woman’s voice – to help them navigate around the diocese. “It was the first time a woman told me where to go,” he said, laughing. “It’s like God’s positioning system. If you follow it, you’ll get to your destination.”
Bishop Gries was asked in 1981, when he became abbot, to help with confirmations around the diocese, a ministry he has continued for 40-plus years. One year, he handled 70 confirmations.
Among his other ministries were serving as spiritual director for the First Friday Club of Cleveland and the Cleveland Legatus chapter, chaplain for the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration and Regina Health Center.
In 2012, when he reached his 75th birthday, he submitted his resignation letter to Pope Benedict, as required by canon law. He didn’t hear anything for 19 months, until Pope Francis accepted it Nov. 1, 2013.
Although he is officially retired, “I’m still a bishop,” he said. “I have more freedom now. Instead of assigning me things, the bishop asks me if I can do them.”
He recalled working with Toledo Bishop Daniel Thomas who served as apostolic administrator after Bishop Lennon’s retirement, Bishop (now Philadelphia Archbishop) Nelson Perez and current Bishop Edward Malesic.
“When Bishop Malesic was named bishop of Cleveland, he called me to let me know. We had known each other for years and served on the board at St. Vincent College in Latrobe (Pennsylvania – a Benedictine college),”he said.
Another story he recalled involved Bishop Quinn, who was found dead in his residence one morning. The secretary left a phone message for Bishop Gries at the school where he was celebrating Mass, but the message got jumbled. “The paper they handed me said Bishop Gries was found dead,” he said.
Bishop Gries had been living in the three-story former convent at the now-closed St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. His secretary used the first floor, his office was on the second floor and his living quarters were on the third floor. Recently, the elevator broke and it took the Cleveland Fire Department 1½ hours to get him out of the elevator. “I knew I had to find another place to live,” he said, so he approached Abbot Gary Hoover about moving back to the monastery in retirement.
“He graciously welcomed me back,” Bishop Gries said, noting an opening was cut to join two guest rooms that he uses for his living quarters and office. However, just before he moved in, the elevator at the monastery broke and he had to climb stairs for a couple of weeks until it was fixed.
“I am so glad to be back at the monastery. I know it and I know the monks. We pray and eat together. The monks are celebrating 100 years in Cleveland this year. It’s a wonderful life. That’s the kind of life I’ve had,” he said, referring to the classic Christmas movie of the same name.
“I’ve tried to be loved and not feared and God rewarded me with so many great people. I am so blessed to have been able to share my episcopal ministry with so many,” he added, closing with his signature “God is good all the time and all the time God is good.”
Mary Von Carlowitz, director of the diocesan Office for Human Life, and Erin Hathaway, executive director of Zelie’s Home, will address the club on “Post Roe v. Wade: Pro-life Culture Helping Women in Unplanned and Crisis Pregnancies” on Jan. 5, 2023 at the City Club of Cleveland. For more information or reservations, email firstfridaycleveland@gmail.com or click here.