Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob (left) and Fr. Jerry Jacob (right) have been friends for more than 37 years and attended the University of St. Mary on the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois, together. (Submitted photo)

Former Mundelein Seminary classmates are looking forward to seeing what their friend, Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob, will do as Milwaukee’s new archbishop, after being installed Jan. 14.

Fr. Jerry Jacob serves as pastor of St. Raymond Parish in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, and attended the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein with Archbishop Grob from the fall of 1988 until their ordination May 23, 1992.

“We have been friends for more than 37 years, and Dec. 14 marked our 33rd anniversary of being ordained to the transitional diaconate,” said Fr. Jacob. “Jeffrey always remembers these significant days of our journey.”

Completing his first year at St. Raymond on Jan. 1, Fr. Jacob was installed as pastor by Cardinal Blase Cupich and then-Bishop Jeffrey Grob, who served as vicar of Vicariate 1.

“We are all sorry to see him leave as he has been a wonderful leader,” Fr. Jacob said. “He is compassionate and pastoral. He genuinely cares about the priests who serve his parishes and is supportive and encouraging.”

Fr. Jacob believes Archbishop Grob will bring many gifts to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, especially his deep faith and pastoral sense.

“He is very approachable, down to earth and reflective. His homilies are insightful and relate to our everyday lives. From my experience, he is very comforting to communities who are grieving the loss of a leader, or who may be dealing with a crisis,” Fr. Jacob said. “Bishop Grob has a way of offering the gift of empathy and is good at checking in with those who have had to face difficult situations. From the moment you meet him, you recognize that he truly cares about you and the people you serve. He is the real deal — humble, generous and filled with hope for the future.”

Currently serving Christ the King Parish in Beverly, Illinois, bishop-elect Larry Sullivan is the Vicariate 6 interim vicar, serving those on Chicago’s south side. He was selected by Archbishop Grob to be his installation dinner MC. Bishop-elect Sullivan remembers Archbishop Grob entering Mundelein Seminary in 1989, and the two were ordained in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1992.

“In seminary, Bishop Grob would gather those of us in the Chicago class in his room for evening prayers, followed by socializing,” Fr. Sullivan said. “He was very much of a gathering person with a great sense of hospitality. I also remember visiting him where he was assigned at St. Clement Parish. He had great enthusiasm for parish ministry, and it was clear that he was very strong in his vocation and excited to be participating in ministry — his enthusiasm was contagious.”

Archbishop Grob and bishop-elect Sullivan have been good friends since their seminary days and frequently gather to socialize or work on various events, such as their transitional diaconate ordination or priestly ordinations.

“Jeff is very good at hospitality, and while he had the busiest schedule as an auxiliary bishop, he still made the time to check in or offer advice if we needed it,” said bishop-elect Sullivan. “He was very available and accessible, despite his busy schedule. We lived together for a while at St. Celestine in Elmwood, now St. Mother Theodore Guerin Parish.”

The parish was formed in July 2018 by combining St. Cyprian and St. Celestine. The two churches are open as worship sites and St. Celestine School is the parish school.

While he will miss Archbishop Grob, bishop-elect Sullivan knows he will bring a great sense of faithfulness, energy, excitement and enthusiasm to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

“He also brings his strong intellect and is very caring,” Fr. Sullivan said. “He uses the gifts given to him by God in service of others. He has a lot of gifts, and he shares them all; he really allows the Holy Spirit to work through him.”

As a well-liked, talented pastor and bishop, Archbishop Grob will fit in well in Milwaukee, said bishop-elect Sullivan, who was recently chosen as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

“He is someone who wants to make a difference; he truly cares and realizes that he is fortunate to be given this call, and he takes it seriously,” Fr. Sullivan said. “Jeff is someone who feels a deep responsibility to help others. He has a tremendous work ethic. We all knew he was going places but didn’t know he would be the Archbishop of Milwaukee. We just knew he stood out and would have a great role in leadership in the Church.”

A native of Cross Plains, Grob, 63, attended Holy Name High School Seminary in Madison and the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. In 1988, he transferred into his second year of theology at Mundelein Seminary and was ordained in 1992 for the Archdiocese of Chicago. He earned a doctorate of canon law from St. Paul University and a doctor of philosophy degree from the University of Ottawa, both in 2007.