Bob Kloska MA ’06

Robert Kloska MA ’06 (“Bobby” to friends and family) landed at Franciscan University in an unconventional way. He was teaching at Brophy College Prep in Phoenix and knew he wanted to earn a master’s degree in philosophy to pair with his bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Notre Dame, but he wasn’t sure where.

He felt led to write to three authors for their opinion. Only Dr. Peter Kreeft, a philosophy professor at Boston College (and Franciscan University’s 2022 commencement speaker), replied. He endorsed Franciscan University.

So, Bobby headed to Steubenville, studying on campus from 1996 to 1997 and finishing his degree in 2006. Meanwhile, he taught philosophy courses at Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Indiana, for 12 years, founded its campus ministry program, and then served 5 years as vice president for Mission Advancement.

Since 2014, Bobby has worked for Notre Dame Federal Credit Union, currently serving as chief partnership officer. During the early part of the pandemic, one of his responsibilities was helping institutions, including Franciscan University, navigate Payback Protection Program loans.

Bobby appreciates that the credit union, which serves 830 Catholic parishes, schools, and nonprofits in 26 dioceses nationwide, embraces Catholic social teaching. In the finance world, he explains, this translates into treating others with love, going beyond basic transactional encounters to develop relationships, and trusting that those closest to the financial situation are best equipped to make decisions.

Outside of work, Bobby is devoted to building community and created a neighborhood hangout, St. Peter’s Pub, in his backyard long before the pandemic because, he points out, “Americans don’t know the people who live on their own street.”With a piano behind the bar for singalongs, the pub holds gatherings of all kinds: prayer groups, birthday parties, movie nights, and more, with free refreshments.“We’ve had a lot of heart-to-hearts there,” Bobby says.

Bobby co-founded a Catholic radio station in 2007 and stays active in Catholic media, occasionally writing for Catechetical Review and blogging at “Thoughts From the Side of the House.” He also serves on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ subcommittee for eucharistic revival.

A three-time cancer survivor, Bobby suffered a heart attack in 2021 and still experiences heart problems—but these health issues have only strengthened his faith.

“I had the opportunity to suffer and to unite my suffering with Christ, giving it to him as a prayer,” he says. “I would choose to go through it again; it’s been so beautiful.”

Bobby and his wife, Margy, live in South Bend, Indiana, and have five children, ranging in age from 25 to 17.