Early life

Brom was born in Arcadia

Arcadia, Wisconsin

Arcadia is a city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, along the Trempealeau River. The population was 2,925 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city in Trempealeau county.-History:...

, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin

Trempealeau County, Wisconsin

Trempealeau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2009, the population estimate was 27,754. Its county seat is Whitehall.-History:Patches of woodland are all that remain of the brush and light forest that once covered the county...

 on September 18, 1938. He was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona

Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona

The Diocese of Winona is the Roman Catholic diocese which ministers to the people of southern Minnesota. The diocese includes Blue Earth, Cottonwood, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Jackson, Martin, Mower, Murray, Nobles, Olmsted, Pipestone, Rock, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Watonowan,...

 in Winona, Minnesota

Winona, Minnesota

Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....

 on December 18, 1963. On March 25, 1983, Brom was appointed the Roman Catholic Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth

Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth is a Roman Catholic diocese in Minnesota. The episcopal see is in Duluth, Minnesota. It was established on October 3, 1889 by Pope Leo XIII. The diocese includes Aitkin, Carlton, Cass, Cook, Crow Wing, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, Pine and St...

. On May 23, 1983, Brom was ordained a bishop.

On May 1, 1989, Brom was appointed as coadjutor bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego

Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego

The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, with a Catholic population of 1,981,057...

. July 10, 1990, he was installed as Bishop of San Diego.

Abuse scandal

The Diocese of San Diego, under Brom, was saddled with a $198 million dollar settlement for the alleged abuse of numerous victims by priests serving in the diocese since the founding of the diocese in 1935.

High Schools and Other Developments

As bishop, Robert Brom is responsible for the creation of two Catholic high schools: Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista, California

Chula Vista, California

Chula Vista is the second largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fourteenth largest city in the State of California, and the seventy seventh largest city in the U.S....

, which replaced Marian Catholic High School in Imperial Beach, California

Imperial Beach, California

Imperial Beach is a residential beach city in San Diego County, California, with a population of 26,324 at the 2010 census. The city is the most southern beach city in Southern California and the West Coast of the United States...

, and Cathedral Catholic High School in Carmel Valley, California, which replaced University of San Diego High School. He is 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.

Spiritual Values, Politics, and the Media

Robert Brom has been considered a moderate-conservative on faith and moral issues. In 2005, he refused to offer a funeral Mass for John McCusker, owner of a gay dance club, Club Montage, in San Diego. Bishop Brom stated the decision was made to avoid "public scandal." After a public outcry, Brom met with McCusker's mother and agreed to offer a private Mass for the family only at a later date.

Politically, Brom is registered Independent.

Except for a few interviews at the beginning of his leadership in the diocese, Brom prefers to speak to the media through press releases.