David Kruse entered the seminary in 2012, spending eight years in formation for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota and a master’s degree in divinity from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.
While in seminary, some of the men who learned of his skills in leatherwork asked him to make leather breviary covers, and some parishioners asked him to make them Bible covers. Kruse, who spent time growing up on his grandfather’s farm, started doing leatherwork after his grandfather died, and he inherited his tools.
Today, Kruse, also a professional musician, lives in Australia with his wife and is CEO of his leatherwork business, OréMoose. He recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show producer Kayla Mayer to discuss his faith and his handcrafted leather goods.
Kruse said the leather Bible covers he makes are a way of clothing “the Word.” “I like to say we’re putting little leather tuxedos on Bibles, but it’s also a way in which to bring attention to it,” he said. “It’s clothing it with beauty. We do that with paintings … with music … with poetry,” he said. Every kind of art has this potential to clothe the word of God, he said.
Often, Bibles are placed on a shelf, yet people want to read them more often, he said. “You get a good high quality leather Bible cover and it’s going to be a centerpiece,” Kruse said. When people visit and ask, “Is that a Bible?” Kruse says “Yes, it’s the most important book in my house.”
Kruse said mixing “the artisan craft of leatherwork with my faith (is) an opportunity to elevate the status of the Bible.” More than a hobby, making Scripture the center of his life is how his business came about, he said.
His business’ main product is Bible covers — about 15 types in various colors from brown to ocean blue, and checkered, with customized ones available.
Buying something that’s meaningful will enrich a person’s life, Kruse said. Besides Bible covers, his business offers covers for breviaries, the Magnificat and liturgy of the hours, as well as purses, satchels and drink koozies.
Where did the name Orémoose come from? To hear Krus tell the tale, and to hear the entire interview, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Nov. 17 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. Nov. 18 and 2 p.m. Nov. 19.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes an interview with Jeremy Stanbary, founder and executive artistic director of Open Window Theatre in Inver Grove Heights, who describes the upcoming performance of “Nicholas” and a new 4,000-square-foot Christmas display at the theater; and Bishop Joseph Williams, who discusses the importance of focusing on Thanksgiving as a holiday of gratitude.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.
