Alberto Cuti

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Alberto Cuti

Born

April 29, 1969 (age 44) San Juan, Puerto Rico

Nationality United States

Occupation

Priest-in-charge, Church of the Resurrection (Episcopal), Biscayne Park, Miami, Florida

Spouse(s)

Ruhama Buni Canellis

Alberto R. Cuti (born April 29, 1969, in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is an Episcopal priest also known as Padre Alberto. Cuti was ordained as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church in 1995 and became an internationally recognizable name by hosting television and radio programs.

Cuti left the Roman Catholic Church in May 2009, after publication of photographs showing him embracing a woman at the beach and his subsequent admission that he was in love.[1] He has said that mandatory celibacy was only one of the theological differences that led him to leave the Roman Catholic Church for the Episcopal Church.[2] After he requested a leave of absence from his duties in the Archdiocese of Miami, he married Ruhama Buni Canellis and joined the Episcopal Church. He currently serves as rector of an Episcopal parish in Biscayne Park, Miami, Florida.

Contents
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1 Media appearances 2 Personal life 3 Reception into the Episcopal Church and marriage 4 References 5 External links

Media appearances[edit]
Cuti, the middle child and son of Cuban exiles,[3] was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. As a teenager he worked as a DJ. He was ordained as a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Miami in 1995, the first ordinand of the then-newly designated Archbishop John Clement Favalora (retired 20 April 2010). As "Father Albert", he was the first priest to host a secular talk show both on radio and television.[citation needed] He is also a regular columnist whose writings appear in many Spanish language newspapers throughout the United States and Latin America. He gained worldwide recognition with his television debut in 1999 as the host of Padre Alberto (and later Cambia tu Vida con el Padre Alberto), a daily talk show televised on the Telemundo network. He later served as host of the weekly program America en Vivo on Telemundo International.[citation needed] Beginning in 2002, Cuti hosted a weekly talk program called Hablando Claro con el Padre Alberto, reaching millions of households throughout the United States, Canada, Spain and Latin America on EWTN Espaol, which is part of the global network founded by Mother Angelica. In July 2003 he officiated at Celia Cruz's Funeral Mass in Miami, Florida.[4] Cuti also published his first self-help book, Real Life, Real Love (Ama de Verdad, Vive de Verdad) in January 2006. It sold thousands of copies and became a bestseller in the Spanish language market. His second book, Dilemma: A Priest's Struggle with Faith and Love (Dilema: La Lucha de un Sacerdote Entre Su Fe y el Amor), was released on January 4, 2011. He has been labelled as "Father Oprah" by various publications. He served as President and General Director of Radio Paz and Radio Peace Catholic 24-hour radio station beginning in January 2001. He hosted several radio programs, such as Al Dia and

Linea Directa, and directed the daily operations of Pax Catholic Communications for the Archdiocese of Miami until 2009. On April 2, 2009, he was named one of AARP's new Hispanic Ambassadors.[citation needed] On January 4, 2011, Cuti released his candid memoir, Dilemma. With the release of his new book he appeared on Good Morning America, The View, Fox and Friends, and The Joy Behar Show as well as several national Spanish language television programs, including Don Francisco Presenta, Despierta America, and Al Rojo Vivo. While some[who?] claim the book is "harsh" on the Roman Catholic Church, Cuti has said that he did not write it with that intention. He has repeatedly said, "This is not an attack on the Church, but a memoir about my personal experiences for 25 years as a young man discerning, preparing and living in the Catholic priesthood."[citation needed]

Personal life[edit]
In May 5, 2009, Cuti asked church officials for a time of reflection and a leave of absence from his media programs and pastoral work after publication of pictures in which he was shown kissing Ruhama Buni Canellis at a public beach. As a result, the Archdiocese of Miami granted him a leave of absence for an undefined period of personal decision making. He chose to continue his ministry as a married priest in the Episcopal Church, part of the Anglican Communion.[5] Cuti asked the Archdiocese of Miami for some time to think and make a decision on where his life as a priest was heading.[6][7] In May 11, 2009, Cuti was interviewed by Maggie Rodriguez of CBS' The Early Show.[8] He said that he was thinking about leaving the Roman Catholic Church for a woman he loves. He said that he respected the existing rule of mandatory celibacy and acknowledged that some priests remain dedicated to that calling. There are many priests in communion with the Vatican who are married, but they are not members of the Latin Rite. He stated he did not want to become the "anti-celibacy priest".[9] In May 13, 2009, Cuti was interviewed by Teresa Rodrguez on the Univision show Aqui y Ahora. He said: "I do regret if my actions hurt people with all my heart", adding "[t]here are other ways to serve God. I am not the same man I was when I entered the seminary 22 years ago."[10] By the end of the month Cuti announced that he had been in the process of discerning entering the Episcopal Church for the last couple of years, which in turn helped him consolidate marriage and his calling to serve God.[11] In July 11, 2011, Cuti aired his first English-speaking syndicated daytime talk show, Father Albert, It was subsequently cancelled after six episodes due to low ratings. The show was produced by Debmar-Mercury, the same company that syndicates South Park and Family Feud.

Reception into the Episcopal Church and marriage[edit]

Cuti was received into the Episcopal Church on May 28, 2009, by the Right Reverend Leo Frade, the Cuban-born bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida and became

the administrator and pastoral minister of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Biscayne Park, Miami, Florida, where he was licensed as a pastoral assistant.[12] He was subsequently received as an Episcopal priest and instituted as priest-in-charge of the parish on May 29, 2010.[13] On June 26, 2009, Cuti and Ruhama Buni Canellis married in a church ceremony at St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church in North Miami Beach.[14] Bishop Frade officiated, assisted by the Right Reverend Onell Soto (retired Episcopal Bishop of Venezuela) and several other Episcopal clergy.[15] Cuti is presently serving as the priest-in-charge at the Church of the Resurrection in Biscayne Park, Florida. On November 30, 2010, his wife gave birth to their first child, daughter Camila Victoria Cuti. They are also the parents of Christian Norton from Cutie's wife's first marriage. She gave birth to a son in May 2012 named Alberto Felipe Cuti.[16] Cuti celebrated his son's baptism two months later.

References[edit]
1. Jump up ^ "Alberto Cutie, Miami Priest Caught In Love Affair, Defends Celibacy". Huffington Post. May 11, 2009. 2. Jump up ^ Kaleem J. "Father Alberto Cuti joins Episcopal church",Miami Herald, May 28, 2009 link 3. Jump up ^ The Washington Post, April 26, 2009; "Outspoken: A Conversation With Alberto Cuti, Multimedia priest" 4. Jump up ^ "Adios, Miami Crowd Tells Salsa Queen Celia Cruz Adios". Havana Journal. July 20, 2003. 5. Jump up ^ Lydia Martin and Jaweed Kaleem (May 15, 2009). "Father Cutie to Univision: Were Cuban Spies Following Me?". Miami Herald. 6. Jump up ^ Jaweed Kaleem, Lydia Martin, and Charles Rabin (May 5, 2009). "Celebrity priest punished after being caught with woman". Miami Herald. 7. Jump up ^ Tim Padgett (May 7, 2009). "The Father Cutie Scandal: Sex and the Single Priest". Time Magazine. 8. Jump up ^ "Father Cuti's confession". The Early Show (CBS). May 11, 2009. 9. Jump up ^ "Celebrity priest backs celibacy, but may marry; Fla. clergyman known as 'Father Oprah' says he may leave Catholic Church". Associated Press. May 11, 2009. 10. Jump up ^ "La confesin del Padre Alberto". Univision. May 13, 2009. 11. Jump up ^ Sutton, Jane (May 29, 2009). "Sex scandal Miami priest quits Catholic Church". Reuters. 12. Jump up ^ Episcopal Church of the Resurrection website 13. Jump up ^ Episcopal Life Online item, June 1, 2010 14. Jump up ^ "Cuti Weds Longtime Girlfriend". Justnews.com. June 16, 2009. 15. Jump up ^ "Former Catholic Priest Has New Wife, New Life as Episcopalian" from McClatchy Newspapers, appearing in the Washington Post, June 20, 2009 16. Jump up ^ Morales, Mara (September 2012). "Padre Alberto: Una herencia de fe". People en espaol: 161, 163.

External links[edit]