Assignment Record – Rev. Robert B. Cullen, s.j.

Summary of Case: A Jesuit priest ordained in 1958, Cullen's ministry took him to the dioceses of Albany, Dallas, Pittsburgh, New York, Baltimore, Wheeling-Charleston, Charlotte, and Allentown. He was a high school guidance counselor and teacher of religion, English, and psychology. In testimony before the Maryland legislature in 2007, a woman stated that Cullen sexually abused her for years in the 1960s, when she was in elementary school. She said her mother reported the abuse to the Jesuits repeatedly, beginning in the late 1960s, but that no action was taken. The woman testified, too, that she was "not the only one" abused by Cullen. Cullen died in February 2005.

Ordained: 1958
Died: Feb. 5, 2005


   

Start Stop Parish/Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes
1958 1959         Cullen is not indexed in the 1959 Directory.

1959

Albany bishop was William Aloysius Scully (1954-1969).

 1960 Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs Auriesville NY Tertianship  

1960

Dallas bishop was Thomas Kiely Gorman (1954-1969).

1961 Jesuit High School of Dallas Dallas TX   Jesuit High had 644 students.

1961

Pittsburgh bishop was John Joseph Wright (1959-1969).

1962   Pittsburgh PA   Address given is 322 N. Lang Ave., Pittsburgh, PA

1962

New York archbishop was Francis Joseph Spellman (1939-1967).

1963 Fordham University New York NY    

1963

Baltimore archbishop was Lawrence Joseph Shehan (1961-1974).

1971 Loyola High School

Towson

• Cullen was accused of sexually abusing an elementary school-aged girl for years in the 1960s. His accuser grew up in Townson. The priest is said to have been caught in the act; the girl's mother is said to have repeatedly reported the abuse, beginning in the late 1960s, to the Jesuit. The Jesuits reportedly took no action. Cullen's accuser stated that she wasn't
"the only one."

MD guidance counselor; teacher of religion, English, and psychology Loyola had 769-670 students, all male.
1971 1972         Cullen is indexed in the 1972 Directory as at Loyola High, but he is not listed as there in the Baltimore archdiocesan pages.

1972

Shehan was succeeded by William Donald Borders (1974-1989).

1980 Loyola High School Townson MD    
1980 1981         Cullen is not indexed in the 1981 Directory; nor is he listed in Baltimore archdiocesan pages as at his previous assignment.
1981 1982 Loyola High School Townson MD   Loyola had 743 students.

1982

Wheeling-Charleston bishop was Joseph Howard Hodges (1962-1985), followed by Francis Bible Schulte (1985-1988). Schulte was replaced by Bernard William Schmitt (1989-2004).

1990 Wheeling College Wheeling WV    

1990

Charlotte bishop was John Francis Donoghue (1984-1993).

1991 Chapel of the Redeemer Hot Springs NC 2/2  
1990 1991 Jesuit Community Belmont NC    

1991

Pittsburgh bishop was Donald William Wuerl (1988-2006).

1992 SS Peter and Paul Pittsburgh PA 3/3 In residence.  
1992 1996 St. Charles Lwanga Pittsburgh PA 3/3 St. Charles Lwanga had a school with 334 students.

1996

Baltimore archbishop was William Henry Keeler (1989-2007).

2002 Loyola High School Townson PA community outreach; religion teacher Loyola High had 855-960 students, all male.

2002

Allentown bishop was Edward Peter Cullen (1997-2009).

2005 Jesuit Center Wernersville PA pastoral minister Cullen died Feb. 5, 2005.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1960-2006)

• The Rev. Robert B. Cullen, 78, Priest, School Counselor, Baltimore Sun, February 25, 2005
• Testimony before the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Subcommittee about Robert Cullen SJ and Maryland Senate Bill 575, By Helen Daly, Annapolis MD, March 1, 2007


Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Cullen's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on Aug. 27, 2013