Father Richard Kunzman, remembered as ‘champion of poor,’ dies

Father Richard Timothy Kunzman, 89, known for his pastoral care to the most vulnerable in the United States and abroad, died Feb. 1.

Retired since 2006, he spent his ministry in the Diocese’s parishes, schools, ministries and hospitals; the Brazilian Missions; and as an advocate for individuals and communities in need.

Father James Durkin, a longtime friend of Father Kunzman, remembered a “people-oriented, compassionate, outgoing priest [who was] a champion for the poor.”

“I met him in 1968 in Maris Stella Church, Avalon, right after I was ordained,” recalled Father Durkin, a retired priest of the Diocese. “I will miss his companionship, good sense of humor, joy of life and priestly fraternity.”

“He always imitated Christ and the apostles in his outreach,” Father Durkin said.

The son of the late Charles and Mary Helen (Coleman) Kunzman, Father Kunzman was born Oct. 15, 1936, in Morristown, N.J. He studied for the seminary at Seton Hall University, South Orange, and Saint Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore. 

He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Celestine J. Damiano on May 25, 1963, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Camden. That fall, he began teaching at Wildwood Catholic High School, North Wildwood, before being sent to the Diocese’s Mission in Brazil in 1964.

Upon his return to the Diocese of Camden two years later, he served as a parochial vicar at a number of parishes: Saint Anthony Church, Hammonton, 1967; Saint Joseph Polish Church, Camden, 1967; Saint James, Ventnor, 1968; Most Holy Redeemer, Westville Grove, 1976; and Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 1979-1980. He also served as chaplain of West Jersey Hospital, Camden, 1967, and assistant chaplain of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Camden, 1997.

Father Kunzman also ministered with the Diocese’s Catholic Social Services in the 1970s and 1980s, and with its Family Life Offices in 1987.

In 1980, he became director of pastoral care at New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Massachusetts, and became a member of the Boston Theological Institute.

In 1990, he began preaching in parishes throughout the United States on behalf of the poor and vulnerable; for the past 25 years, he was working with Cross Catholic Outreach, a Florida-based ministry dedicated to aiding the poor and their communities across the globe.

A viewing for Father Kunzman will take place 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Feb. 12 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 642 Market St., Camden. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated immediately following the viewing. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, 2398 Route 70 West, in Cherry Hill.