FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2018
The
following
announcement from the Catholic Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts,
available at www.fallriverdiocese.org,
was shared with the Diocese of Arlington on 10/22/2018. Father Michael
Kuhn, Y.A., served as chaplain at Paul VI Catholic High School from 2004-2008,
and as assistant chaplain at Marymount University from 2017 to the
present.
Anyone with information regarding this
allegation should contact the Manassas City Police Department’s Investigative
Services Division at (703) 257-8092. The
Diocese encourages anyone who knows of any misconduct or abuse on the part of
any cleric or employee of the Diocese to notify civil authorities, as well as
to reach out to the diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator at (703) 841-2530.
The diocesan child protection policy is online
at https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/child-protection/
FALL RIVER PRIEST, YOUTH APOSTLE MEMBER PLACED ON LEAVE
October 22, 2018
FALL RIVER — Father Michael F. Kuhn, Y.A., a priest of the
Catholic Diocese of Fall River, Mass. and member of the Youth Apostles
Institute, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an
investigation of alleged sexual misconduct with a minor in approximately 1975.
The incident is alleged to have occurred in Manassas, Virginia, when Fr. Kuhn
was roughly 18 years old, more than 20 years before he was ordained a priest in
1997.
Father Kuhn was ordained as a priest of the
Fall River Diocese for service in the Youth Apostles Institute. He currently
ministers in Virginia and Maryland.
The Fall River Diocese has been informed
that Father Kuhn denies the accusation, and no determination has yet been made
regarding its credibility. The decision to restrict Father Kuhn from ministry
should not be construed as an implication of guilt but rather as a measure
intended to facilitate the investigation.
As a priest in the Fall River Diocese, he
served as a parochial vicar at the former St. Mary Parish in Seekonk, 1997 to
2000; and as chaplain at Bishop Feehan High School, Attleboro, 1997 to 2004.
From there, he was assigned as chaplain, Paul VI High School Fairfax, Va.,
2004-2008; director, Youth Apostles Community House, Thurmont, Md., 2009-;
Campus Ministry, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va., 2011-2016; chaplain,
St. John’s Catholic Prep, Frederick, Md., 2016-; and assistant chaplain,
Marymount University, Arlington, Va., 2017-.
Like all priests, Father Kuhn has undergone
criminal background checks during his service.
Anyone who knows of any information that
may be related to this case is asked to notify the Manassas City Police
Department’s Investigative Services Division at (703) 257-8092.
As this difficult situation is addressed,
prayers are asked for all who may be affected by these allegations.