Edward Cullen (bishop)
Edward Peter Cullen | |
|---|---|
| Bishop Emeritus of Allentown | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Archdiocese | Philadelphia |
| Diocese | Allentown |
| Appointed | December 16, 1997 |
| Installed | February 9, 1998 |
| Term ended | May 27, 2009 |
| Predecessor | Thomas Jerome Welsh |
| Successor | John Barres |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 19, 1962 by John Krol |
| Consecration | April 14, 1994 by Anthony Bevilacqua, John Patrick Foley, and Francis B. Schulte |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 15, 1933 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Previous post(s) | Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, Titular Bishop of Paria in Proconsolare |
| Motto | Christ, Church, Compassion |
| Styles of Edward Peter Cullen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
Edward Peter Cullen (born March 15, 1933) is a retired American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania from 1998 to 2009.
Biography[]
Early life and education[]
The second of five children in an Irish Catholic family, Cullen was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Edward Peter and Julia Catherine (née Leahy) Cullen. He was raised in Yeadon, along with his older sister, Joan, and three younger brothers, Joseph, James, and John. Cullen attended West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys, where he played football, participated in track and field athletics, was involved in the school newspaper, and worked as a cashier at an Acme supermarket.[1]
Following Cullen's graduation from West Catholic, he studied engineering at the Drexel Institute of Technology. In 1953, he entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, from where he obtained Bachelor of Arts degree in 1958.[1]
Ordination and ministry[]
On May 19, 1962, Cullen was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop John Krol in the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. He then served as an assistant pastor at St. Maria Goretti Church[2] in Hatfield for three years and then at St. Bartholomew Church in Philadelphia.
Cullen was sent by Archbishop Krol to study social work at the University of Pennsylvania, later earning his Master of Social Work degree in 1970.[1] This was followed by a Master of Religious Education from La Salle University (1971) and Master of Divinity from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary (1974).[3] From 1979 to 1993, he served as a chaplain at St. Edmond's Home for Children in Bryn Mawr.[4]
Cullen was raised to the rank of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness in April 1982,[1] and served as director of Catholic Social Services from 1983 to 1988.[3] In August 1988, he was named vicar general of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia[]
On February 8, 1994, Cullen was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia and Titular Bishop of Paria in Proconsolare by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following April 14 from Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, with Archbishops John Foley and Francis Schulte serving as co-consecrators.[5] He selected as his episcopal motto: "Christ, Church, Compassion".[1]
Bishop of Allentown[]
Cullen was appointed Bishop of Allentown on December 16, 1997, replacing the retiring Thomas Welsh. He was installed on February 9, 1998.[5] In 2003, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America.[1]
Cullen stopped sacraments at The National Centre for Padre Pio in Barto, Pennsylvania in 2004 for unspecified reasons. The sacraments have since been restored, as in September of 2020, Bishop Alfred A. Schlert, DD, JCL of the Diocese of Allentown, and formal Vicar General to Cullen, issued a decree undoing Cullen's, and signed Canonical Statutes regularizing the Centre and granting the organization juridic personhood within the Catholic Church.
In 2008, Cullen, under the direction of his superior and head of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, carried out a program which would restructure many parishes in the Diocese. As part of this program, 47 parishes were closed, this reduced the number of parishes from 151 to 104. Some of the closed churches were then sold.[6]
Cullen's resignation was accepted on 27 May 2009 by Pope Benedict. At the same time, Pope Benedict named John Barres as the fourth bishop of the diocese.
Handling of Sexual Abuse[]
On August 14, 2018, Pennsylvania Attorney General released a report that showed that Cullen instructed his vicar general Alfred Schlert to act as an "enabler" when handling abuse allegations.[7][failed verification] A.G Shapiro said that Schlert and others earned promotions from Cullen for their work in handling the allegations.[8] By the time the grand jury report was released, many records on sex abuse in the diocese were missing, with the grand jury stating that each of the six dioceses investigated "we believe that the real number — of children whose records were lost, or who were afraid ever to come forward — is in the thousands."[8]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "The Bishop". Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown. Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ^ St. Maria Goretti Church, Hatfield
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Bishop Welsh's Resignation Accepted; Bishop Cullen to Allentown". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 1997-12-15.
- ^ "Bishop of the Diocese of Allentown". Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Bishop Edward Peter Cullen". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.[self-published source]
- ^ Althouse, Steve. "Several Lehigh Valley Catholic churches consolidated by Diocese of Allentown", Pennlive.com, May 31, 2008
- ^ "Attorney General Lists Dozens of Priests Accused of Sex Abuse in Grand Jury Report". Wnep.com. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-grand-jury-report-catholic-dioceses-20180612-story.html
External links[]
- The Diocese of Allentown: The Bishop
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown
Episcopal succession[]
Authority control  |
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- 1933 births
- Living people
- American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent
- Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Philadelphia
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown
- Catholic University of America trustees
- Roman Catholic bishops in Pennsylvania