Rev. Richard K. Gross, a Boston area priest, was found dead in a Spanish tourist town. The 80-year-old priest had previously worked as a school chaplain. According to Spanish police, he was killed by a traumatic brain injury in an apparent home invasion. He is mourned by his students, who remember him as a dedicated chaplain. The investigation into the murder is ongoing.
“I heard a man scream a lot, it was as if he were being killed. It seemed to me as if a cushion was being placed on him, and he was defending himself,” a translated quote from one of the priest’s neighbors reads. Despite the sounds of a struggle, the body was not discovered for several hours. While Police in Málaga have declined to comment, they have confirmed that his belongings were stolen.
Susan Abbott, who works at a church where Gross often preached, said, “What’s worse than saying, ‘He died, we’ve lost him,‘ somehow, is hearing how it happened.” According to the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus, he was “preparing to embark on a cruise” at the time of the break-in. The organization added that they were “shocked and saddened” by the murder.
He spent decades as the chaplain at a number of prestigious institutions. His most recent appoint was to BC High. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Father Gross’s family, his brother Jesuits, and all those blessed by his ministry and friendship,” BC High said in a statement. ”We pray for his eternal peace and comfort for those mourning his loss.”
Friends remembered him as highly involved and devout. Abbot said he was “80 years old, but the guy never lost his fastball. ” The beloved priest was “not above mischief” and had a “twinkle in his eye.” “If you’re 20- or 30-something, where do you want to be on the Fourth of July?” she remembered. “Over at BC High, attending a cookout with an 80-year-old Jesuit.”
Jessica Nagle, who only recently met Gross, said, “I would have thought he was younger than he was.” She also recounted how the aging priest drove a long distance to appear at her father’s funeral. “It could have been a phone call, you know, but he did it,” she said. “For my mother — who was born and raised Catholic but has been fairly distant — I feel like it made her feel like someone really cared,” she said.
Art Muldoon, 58, met Gross as a student in the 80s. “He was so well-traveled, and he had a lot of insights and interests to share,” he explained. “So people really did enjoy hearing his stories as much as sharing their own.” He said the priest’s charisma came from the fact that he was “thoughtful about the world as different people experience it.”
According to his friends, the priest was a Jesuit “in the mold of Pope Francis.” They remembered him for his strong conscience about social injustice. “Somebody accused him of being political, and he said, ‘I’m not political. I preach the gospel,‘” said Abbot. “‘Who are we ignoring? Who are we looking past? Who are we uncomfortable with?’ And he wouldn’t let the congregants off the hook.”