Robert Joseph Cunningham

Robert Joseph Cunningham
Styles of; Robert Joseph Cunningham
Reference style	His Excellency ; The Most Reverend ;
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Robert Joseph Cunningham
His Excellency, The Most Reverend ; Robert Joseph Cunningham
	Bishop of Syracuse
	Bishop Robert Cunningham celebrates Mass on Parents Weekend at the Alibrandi Catholic Center, Newman Center for Syracuse University
Archdiocese	New York
Diocese	Syracuse
Appointed	April 21, 2009
Installed	May 26, 2009
Predecessor	James Michael Moynihan
Orders
Ordination	May 24, 1969; by Bernard Joseph McLaughlin
Consecration	May 18, 2004; by Edward Egan, Henry J. Mansell, and Gerald Barbarito
Personal details
Born	June 18, 1943 (age 75); Buffalo, New York
Nationality	American
Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
Previous post	Bishop of Ogdensburg (2004—2009)
Motto	ECCLESIA MATER NOSTRA

Last updated February 18, 2019

Robert Joseph Cunningham (born June 18, 1943) is the tenth and current bishop of Syracuse.

The Diocese of Syracuse is a Catholic diocese headquartered in Syracuse, New York, United States. The current bishop is the Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse includes 237,546 Catholics residing in seven counties of Central and South Central New York State. The seven counties are Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga and Oswego.

Biography

Early life and education

Robert Cunningham was born in Buffalo, New York to Cecil and Grace Cunningham; he has a brother, Patrick, and a sister, Eileen. He attended St. John the Baptist Parish School and the Diocesan Preparatory Seminary before entering St. John Vianney Seminary (currently Christ the King Seminary) in East Aurora, from where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Divinity degrees.

Buffalo is the second largest city in the U.S. state of New York and the largest city in Western New York. As of July 2016, the population was 256,902. The city is the county seat of Erie County and a major gateway for commerce and travel across the Canada–United States border, forming part of the bi-national Buffalo Niagara Region.

The word diocese is derived from the Greek term dioikesis (διοίκησις) meaning "administration". Today, when used in an ecclesiastical sense, it refers to the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.

A minor seminary is a secondary boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming priests. They are generally Roman Catholic institutions, and designed to prepare boys both academically and spiritually for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. They emerged in cultures and societies where literacy was not universal, and the minor seminary was seen as a means to prepare younger boys in literacy for later entry into the major seminary.

Ordination and ministry

Cunningham was ordained to the priesthood by bishop Bernard McLaughlin on May 24, 1969, in St. Joseph Cathedral, and then served as associate pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church in Kenmore. In 1972, he was named assistant pastor at his home parish of St. John the Baptist, also in Kenmore.

Bernard Joseph McLaughlin was an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Auxiliary Bishop of Buffalo and also held the titular see of Mottola.

Curate person who is invested with the care or cure (cura) of souls of a parish

A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure (cura) of souls of a parish. In this sense, "curate" correctly means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term curate is commonly used to describe clergy who are assistants to the parish priest. The duties or office of a curate are called a curacy.

Kenmore is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 15,423 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area.

He became private secretary to bishop Edward Head and assistant chancellor of Buffalo in 1974. Cunningham, after earning his licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America in 1978, was made a judge of the marriage tribunal and vice-chancellor of the diocese. He was raised to the rank of Monsignor in 1984, and then full chancellor (1985) and vicar general (1986) of Buffalo. Niagara University awarded him an honorary doctorate in humane letters in 1991.

A personal assistant, also referred to as personal aide (PA) or personal secretary (PS), is a job title describing a person who assists a specific person with their daily business or personal tasks.

Edward D. Head was the 11th Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York from 1973-1995.

Chancellor is an ecclesiastical title used by several quite distinct officials of some Christian churches.

In January 2002, Cunningham was named pastor of St. Louis Church in Buffalo. He was administrator of the diocesan College of Consultors from 2003 to 2004, as well as sitting on the boards of Christ the King Seminary, Catholic Charities, Baker Victory Services, the Cantalician Center, and the former Wadhams Hall Seminary College. A charter member of the Kenmore Mercy Hospital Foundation Board, he was given the Sister Mary Mechtilde Memorial Award by the Foundation Board in 2004.

Bishop of Ogdensburg

On March 9, 2004, Cunningham was appointed the thirteenth bishop of Ogdensburg by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following May 18 from Cardinal Edward Egan, with archbishop Henry J. Mansell and bishop Gerald Michael Barbarito serving as co-consecrators, at St. Mary's Cathedral.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg is a Roman Catholic diocese in New York. It was founded on February 15, 1872. It comprises the entirety of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties and the northern portions of Hamilton and Herkimer counties.

Pope John Paul II 264th Pope of the Catholic Church, saint

Pope John Paul II was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 to 2005.

Edward Michael Egan was an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Bridgeport from 1988 to 2000, and as Archbishop of New York from 2000 to 2009. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2001.

In 2007, he was awarded another honorary doctorate in humane letters from St. John’s University in Staten Island.

Bishop of Syracuse

On 21 April 2009, it was announced that Cunningham was to be the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse. He was installed on May 26, 2009. On June 18, 2018 Cunningham submitted his resignation after reaching the age of 75.^[1]

Controversial Statements

In a 2011 deposition, Cunningham made statements about the victims of sex abuse by the hands of priests in the Syracuse Diocese, implying that the victims were "culpable" and "accomplices".^[2]

In 2015, when those statements became public, Cunningham admitted that he wishes he phrased his response differently. "It is obvious that my choice of words should have been better. Bottom line is, I cannot go back and change my words but I can assure you that I did not believe the individual involved in the case was at fault." He also repeatedly reiterated that he doesn't believe children are responsible for being abused.^[3]

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References

↑ Sun, The Catholic. "A shepherd reflects: Bishop Robert J. Cunningham marks 75 years - The Catholic Sun". thecatholicsun.com. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
↑ O'Brien, John (2015-09-13). "Child victims partly to blame in priest sex-abuse cases, Syracuse bishop testified". Syracuse.com. Syracuse, NY. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
↑ "Bishop Cunningham clarifies remarks about victims of sexual abuse by priests". localsyr.com. Syracuse, NY. 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2018-08-30.

External links

Diocese of Syracuse

Episcopal succession

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by James Michael Moynihan	Bishop of Syracuse 2009–present	Succeeded by incumbent
Preceded by Gerald Michael Barbarito	Bishop of Ogdensburg 2004–2009	Succeeded by Terry R. LaValley

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[1] Sun, The Catholic. "A shepherd reflects: Bishop Robert J. Cunningham marks 75 years - The Catholic Sun". thecatholicsun.com. Retrieved 2018-06-28.

[2] O'Brien, John (2015-09-13). "Child victims partly to blame in priest sex-abuse cases, Syracuse bishop testified". Syracuse.com. Syracuse, NY. Retrieved 2015-10-15.

[3] "Bishop Cunningham clarifies remarks about victims of sexual abuse by priests". localsyr.com. Syracuse, NY. 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2018-08-30.

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
Ordinaries	Bishops Patrick Anthony Ludden John Grimes Daniel Joseph Curley John A. Duffy Walter Andrew Foery David Frederick Cunningham Francis James Harrison Joseph Thomas O'Keefe James Michael Moynihan Robert Joseph Cunningham
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Syracuse Basilica Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Syracuse Parishes St. John the Baptist Greek Catholic Church, Syracuse St. Joseph's Church, Utica Former parish St. Peter's Italian Church, Syracuse
Education	High schools Bishop Grimes Junior/Senior High School, East Syracuse Bishop Ludden Junior/Senior High School, Syracuse Notre Dame Junior Senior High School, Utica Seton Catholic Central High School, Binghamton Independent high schools Christian Brothers Academy, Syracuse Holy Cross Academy, Oneida
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v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg
Ordinaries	Bishops Edgar Philip Prindle Wadhams Henry Gabriels Joseph Henry Conroy Francis Joseph Monaghan Bryan Joseph McEntegart Walter P. Kellenberg James Johnston Navagh Leo Richard Smith Thomas Andrew Donnellan Stanislaus Joseph Brzana Paul Stephen Loverde Gerald Michael Barbarito Robert Joseph Cunningham Terry R. LaValley
Churches	Cathedral St. Mary's Cathedral, Ogdensburg Parishes Church of St. Dismas, the Good Thief, Dannemora St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, Plattsburgh St. Vincent of Paul Catholic Church, Cape Vincent St. William's Catholic Church, Long Lake
Education	High schools Immaculate Heart Central High School, Watertown Seton Catholic Central High School, Plattsburgh
Catholicismportal