MASSACHUSETTS
The Justice
By Tate Herbert
After almost nine years as the Catholic chaplain and coordinator of the Multifaith Chaplaincy at Brandeis, the Rev. Walter Cuenin has left the University for unspecified health reasons, according to a campus-wide email from Dean of Students Jamele Adams.
Cuenin previously left Brandeis temporarily in 2012 to undergo treatment for cancer at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. It is unclear whether this year’s permanent departure is related.
According to Adams’ announcement, the University is working with the Archdiocese of Boston to identify a new Catholic chaplain to serve on campus. In the interim, the University will provide transportation to and from Our Lady, Help of Christians church in Newton for the 6 p.m. Sunday services in place of the regular Sunday evening services at Bethlehem Chapel. …
Cuenin joined Brandeis as the Catholic chaplain in 2006, according to a Justice article from February of that year. He came to the University from Our Lady, Help of Christians, where the archdiocese accused him of mishandling funds and forced his resignation, according to the article.
However, many viewed it as punishment for his outspoken criticism of the Boston Archdiocese’s and Cardinal Bernard Law’s handling of the clergy sexual abuse scandals in the early 2000s. In 2002, Cuenin successfully led a cohort of local priests in calling for Law’s resignation.
By that time, he had also established a reputation as an advocate for controversial issues within the Church, such as gay and lesbian rights and the role of women in Catholic leadership.
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