Assignment Record– Rev. Richard Unwin

Summary of Case: Richard Unwin was a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, ordained in 1979. He assisted at parishes in Forest Park, Hamilton, Oxford, Springfield and McCartyville, then pastored in Piqua and Tipp City. Unwin was also an educator, teaching at Badin High School in Hamilton, serving as principal of Catholic Central High in Springfield and, briefly, at Lehman High School in Sidney where he was also religion department chair.

In 2003 the archdiocese received a complaint that Unwin had sexually abused a male minor more than 15 years previously. Unwin acknowledge the abuse and was placed on leave. The Ohio Board of Education revoked his teaching license in 2005 and, in 2007, Unwin was laicized.


Ordained: 1979
Laicized: 2007

1979

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Archbishop was Joseph Louis Bernardin (1972-1982).

Hamilton

• Unwin was accused in 2003 of sexually abusing a male minor more than 15 years previously. He acknowledged the abuse. The archdiocese would not divulge the exact time or place of the abuse, per Unwin's victim's request.

1981

Bernardin was succeeded by Daniel Edward Pilarczyk (1982-2009).

Sacred Heart had a CCD program 363-380 students.

St. John the Baptist had a CCD program 481 students.

Unwin is not indexed beyond the 2003 Directory.

Unwin was suspended from ministry in August 2003 after allegations surfaced that he had perpetrated sexual abuse against a male minor more than 15 years previously.

Unwin's teaching license was revoked by the State Board of Education in 2006. He was laicized in 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.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1980-2003).

• 2 Priests Suspended; More Allegations Arise, Cincinnati Enquirer, accessed August 11, 2003
• Accused Priest a Former Educator, By James Cummings, Dayton Daily News, August 11, 2003
• Text of the Archbishop's Statement, Diocesan Press Release, August 11, 2003
• Archbishop Places Abusive Priests on Leave, By Tom Beyerlein, Dayton Daily News, September 23, 2003
• Status Report on Clerics Credibly Accused of Child Abuse, Archdiocesan Status Report, cached, February 7, 2006
• Priests in Sex-Abuse Cases Keep Their Teaching Certificates, By Jim Provance, Toledo Blade, October 6, 2006
• Alleged Molesters Fall through Cracks, By Jim Provance, Toledo Blade, October 7, 2006
• 5 Disciplined by Church to Lose Teacher Licenses, By Jim Provance, Toledo Blade, November 10, 2006
• State Revokes 5 Teaching Licenses, Toledo Blade, November 15, 2006
• Archdiocese Say Priest Defrocked by Vatican, WCPO, May 11, 2007
• Vatican Removes 2 Accused of Sexual Abuse from Priesthood, WLWT, May 11, 2007
• Vatican Ousts 2 from Priesthood, Cincinnati Post, May 12, 2007
• Two Area Priests Defrocked over Sex Abuse Allegations, By Tom Beyerlein, Dayton Daily News, May 12, 2007

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 Unwin's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with the allegations against him, as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegations 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 February 7, 2017.