BOSTON (MA)
The Eagle-Tribune [North Andover MA]
November 21, 2025
By Jill Harmacinski
Jeffrey Diminico was one of five children brought up in a Catholic familythat attended St. Michael Parish. A former parish priest, Rev. Walter Cuenin, befriended hisfamily, entrenched himself in their lives and holiday celebrations and eventually sexually assaulted Jeffrey when he was a teenager, he said.
“He almost immediately latched on to our family,” said Diminico, who revealed the sexual abuse Thursday in a meeting with his attorney, Mitchell Garabedian of Boston, who has represented thousands of victims of Catholic Church sexual abuse.
Cuenin, coincidentally, once called for the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law over his mishandling of the church abuse scandal.
Now a married, career nursing home administrator who lives in Bridgewater, Diminico said Cuenin sexually abused him in 1972 and 1973 when he was 16 and 17 years old respectively.
The first incident occurred at a priests’ home in Hull, and the second when Cuenin took Diminico to France, Diminico said.
Cuenin became involved with the Diminico family, some of whom still live in North Andover, by bringing them gifts and sharing meals with them.
“He was pretty much considered a member of the the family,” he said.
Diminico was inducted into the National Honor Society and Cuenin suggested he accompany him to Hull to a house for priests as a reward. While there he awoke to Cuenin sexually assaulting him, he said.
He explained it was considered an “honor” at that time to have a priest show interest in you and ask you to do things.
“Father Cuenin wants you to go with him and that’s a big deal,” he explained.
A spokesperson for The Archdiocese of Boston said “as is our normal policy, given thisinvolves matters of litigation, we simply do not comment.”
“That said, as has been published previously, Fr. Cuenin has faced serious health issues in recent years. He lives in assisted care out of state and is no longer in ministry,” wrote Terrence Donilon, in an email to The Eagle-Tribune.
Garabedian said Cuenin is believed to be living in Virginia.
In addition to his advocacy against clergy abuse, Cuenin has also publicly supported gay marriage and women priests. He has previously denied allegations of sexual abuse, according to published reports.
Initially, Diminico said he hadn’t planned to reveal the abuse while his mother was alive. She is 96, however, and he recently told her about the abuse.
Diminico said he decided to speak out publicly after a former Brandeis University student filed a lawsuit earlier this year alleging Cuenin sexually assaulted him in a New York City hotel room a decade ago.
“This guy never stopped … I don’t know why I was so stupid to think he would,” said Diminico, who is battling Parkinson’s Disease.
On Thursday, F. Michael Sullivan, who Garabedian is also representing, also revealed sexual abuse he endured from Real Eugene P. Sullivan (no relation) at St. Joseph’s Parish in Holbrook.
He was 11 in 1970 when he said Sullivan sexually assaulted him in the rectory of St. Joseph’s Parish. The incident changed his life for the next 50 years as Sullivan struggled with addiction, self-esteem issues and over-protection of his family.
Garabedian said sexual abuse in the Catholic church is not limited to the 1970s. He has clients who have told him they were sexually abused by priests in the 1990s and early 2000s, he said.
Survivors who tell their stories publicly help others, Garabedian said.
“Do not be afraid to come forward,” he said.
Robert Hoatson, from Road to Recovery, an advocacy group for sexual abuse survivors, referred to Diminico and Sullivan as “heroes” and “courageous.”
“You will never know how many people you helped by doing this,” Hoatson told both men.