Background
Robert Cunningham was born in Buffalo, New York to Cecil and Grace Cunningham. He has a brother, Patrick, and a sister, Eileen.
Robert Cunningham was born in Buffalo, New York to Cecil and Grace Cunningham. He has a brother, Patrick, and a sister, Eileen.
Bachelor, St. John Vianney Seminary, 1965. Master of Divinity, St. John Vianney Seminary, 1969. Juris Canonici Licentiatus, Catholic University of America, 1978.
Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary), Niagara University, 1991. Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary), St. John's University, 2007. Doctor of Humane Letters, Caxisus College, 2009.
Early life and education
Ordination and ministry
In 1972, he was named assistant pastor at his home parish of Saint John the Baptist, also in Kenmore. 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. In January 2002, Cunningham was named pastor of Saint 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. Bishop of Ogdensburg
On March 9, 2004, Cunningham was appointed the thirteenth bishop of Ogdensburg by Pope John Paul World War 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 Saint Mary"s Cathedral.
In 2007, he was awarded with another honorary doctorate in humane letters from Saint 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.