David Frederick Cunningham (December 3, 1900 – February 22, 1979) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as Bishop of Syracuse from 1970 to 1976.

Biography

David Cunningham was born in Walkerville,

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

, to David and Mary Ann (Fitzgerald) Cunningham. He was raised in Oswego, New York. He attended St. Michael's College in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, before returning to New York and studying at St. Bernard's Seminary in

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood on June 12, 1926. He then served as a curate a
St. Ambrose Church
in Endicott, and was afterwards sent to further his studies at the Catholic University of America in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, from where he earned a

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiat ...

in 1930. Between 1930 and 1950, he served as

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

to Bishops Daniel Joseph Curley, John A. Duffy, and Walter Andrew Foery. He was raised to the rank of Domestic Prelate in 1941. He also served as an assistant at Loretto Rest Nursing Home and at St. John Church in Camden. In 1946 he was named

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

o
St. John the Baptist Church
and

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

of the

Diocese of Syracuse The Diocese of Syracuse is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in New York, United States. The of Syracuse includes the territory of seven counties of Central and South Central New York State: Broome, Chena ...

. On April 5, 1950, Cunningham was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Syracuse and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of ''Lampsacus'' by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 8 from Cardinal

Francis Spellman Francis Joseph Spellman (May 4, 1889 – December 2, 1967) was an American bishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church. From 1939 until his death in 1967, he served as the sixth Archbishop of New York; he had previously served as an auxiliary ...

, with Bishop Walter Foery and Archbishop

Bryan Joseph McEntegart Bryan Joseph McEntegart (January 5, 1893 – September 30, 1968) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg in Northern New York (1943–1953), rector of the Catholic University of Amer ...

serving as co-consecrators. He was the first priest from the Syracuse Diocese to become a bishop. He attended all four sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

between 1962 and 1965. He was named Coadjutor Bishop of Syracuse by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

on June 16, 1967. He was appointed diocesan chancellor on September 1, 1969. Following the resignation of Bishop Foery, Cunningham succeeded him as the sixth Bishop of Syracuse on August 4, 1970. After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, he resigned as bishop on November 9, 1976. He later died at his residence in Syracuse, aged 78. He is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in DeWitt.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, David Frederick 1900 births 1979 deaths People from Silver Bow County, Montana People from Oswego, New York Roman Catholic bishops of Syracuse American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent Participants in the Second Vatican Council Catholic University of America alumni Catholics from Montana 20th-century American clergy