Superintendent-in-Chief William G. Gross will be sworn in as Boston’s 42nd police commissioner Monday, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced.
Bishop John M. Borders III will preside over the ceremony at Morning Star Baptist Church in Mattapan, where Gross’s mother, Deanna Gross, has been a member for 35 years and currently serves as chairwoman of the health ministry.
“It’s very important to me that the program will be open to all,” Borders said. “This is a celebration of a historic moment.”
Gross will be the first African-American commissioner of the Boston police. During his 33 years on the job, Gross has served as a patrolman in several districts, as well as in the gang and drug control units. Gross later worked as a sergeant in Mattapan, Dorchester, and Hyde Park before he was appointed as chief in 2014.
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“I’ve known William since he started on the force, and his mother, Deanna, has been there since the beginning of my ministry,” Borders said. Gross “will meet and exceed every police commissioner we have had in the past,” Borders said.
The event will be held in the church’s sanctuary, which can hold about 1,000 people, Borders said. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and parking is limited, according to a news release. The ceremony will also be livestreamed and broadcast online on the city’s website.
The announcement of Gross’s swearing-in comes about a week after Police Commissioner William B. Evans, 59, announced his retirement after 38 years with the force. This month, he will become executive director of public safety at Boston College.
Jerome Campbell can be reached at jerome.campbell@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeromercampbell.