A LETTER TO THE FAITHFUL FROM BISHOP MARK

Even thought we have reached a monetary settlement, today the focus is on survivors

March 27, 2026

Peace be with you.

Today the Diocese of Albany has reached a settlement with the survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse. The settlement will provide payment in the amount of $148 million dollars to approximately 440 survivors. It was not easy to reach this agreement and there is still work to be done to finalize the details but the monetary contribution to the Survivors has been agreed to.

First and foremost, I offer my thanks to the brave survivors of sexual abuse who persevered for so long to bring light to this dark and shameful history of the Church. While there are others to be recognized for their efforts, support, counsel and contributions in arriving at this settlement, the focus for today is on the survivors. While the settlement is substantial it cannot adequately compensate the survivors for the horrors they experienced. But it will hopefully provide some solace to all those affected by the pain caused by the perpetrators and the failings of those who could have intervened but did not. I am hopeful that the Diocese’s settlement will be supplemented by amounts contributed by insurance carriers that provided coverage to the Diocese and parishes. At this time, those contributions have not been determined.

As the Bishop of Albany, I want to say a clear and unnuanced statement of guilt on the part of the diocese in its handling of our predator priests and others within the diocese. It is a shameful chapter in our history and no monetary settlement such as the one reached today will erase the pain caused to survivors. On behalf of the Diocese of Albany, I apologize and promise to work diligently to prevent anything like this from occurring again. I will make myself and my staff available to you all going forward, including continuing to offer our counseling services and pastoral care.

Work remains to be done to address the claims of the St. Clare's pensioners. As many know, a jury verdict concluded that the Diocese of Albany had no historic fiduciary responsibility for St. Clare's Hospital or its pension plan and, therefore, the Diocese of Albany was deemed not directly responsible for the losses incurred by the pension plan. The court's decision finding the Diocese responsible for the acts of others in managing the pension fund is under appeal and we await the court's decision.

To the people of our Diocese and to all of our parishes, let us move forward in recovery. The price we have paid is very high. The hurt that was caused is greater. Our parishes need to continue in safety and in hope looking forward to a strong future together. Today we are united in our sorrow and our sacrifice to begin to atone for the hurt we (collectively) caused. Today we should commit to memory this sin to prevent it from happening again, and today we begin again from the ashes to strengthen our precious diocese for our future.

Again, I am very sorrowful to those who were victimized, but I am also proud to be a part of a people that is paying our debt to whom it is owed.

Respectfully