SYRACUSE (NY)
WSYR - ABC 9 [Syracuse NY]
April 27, 2026
By Keleigh Arrington
Survivors of clergy sexual abuse, Catholic leaders, and members of the diocesan community gathered Sunday at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for a “Blue Sunday” Mass.
The mass, centered on prayer, healing, and reflection, was held just weeks after a federal court finalized the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case tied to abuse claims.
The service took place during National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a national observance in April when faith-based communities across the country are encouraged to pray for victims of child abuse and those working to protect children.
Inside Sunday’s Mass, survivors and church members filled the cathedral for a service that emphasized both prayer and accountability. Bishop Douglas J. Lucia, who leads the Diocese of Syracuse, said the Church must continue confronting its history.
“We just needed to bring things into the light. We couldn’t hide behind things,” Lucia said.
As part of the court-approved plan, a $176.1 million Victims’ Trust Fund will be distributed to survivors of clergy sexual abuse through an independent arbiter. The fund is supported by $76.1 million from insurance carriers and $100 million contributed by the “Catholic family,” including parishes, diocesan entities, and the Diocese itself.
“There is no amount of money that’s going to help heal the pain and wounds that was inflicted upon them through the abuse,” he said.
As part of the court-approved plan, a $176.1 million Victims’ Trust Fund will be distributed to survivors of clergy sexual abuse through an independent arbiter. The fund is supported by $76.1 million from insurance carriers and $100 million contributed by the “Catholic family,” including parishes, diocesan entities, and the Diocese itself.
The Diocese said more than 52,000 clergy, employees, and volunteers have undergone safe environment training and criminal background checks as part of its prevention efforts. Bishop Lucia said those protections are intended to create accountability across the entire church system.
“Everybody has to go through the training so we can be that gate or provide that extra protection for those children,” he said.
Sunday’s Mass also included testimony from survivors, including Jim Boone, who said his abuse began while he was a college student serving at Mass. Boone said he was groomed over several months by a chaplain before being assaulted.
“I was totally terrified as an 18-year-old. I was his victim, his target, and he invited me to the rectory one afternoon just to have fun and stayed overnight, and unbeknownst to me…I was assaulted,” Boone said,
He said his faith and upbringing in a Catholic family helped him survive, even as he struggled with the secret privately.
“I kept this a secret… all my adult life until 40 years into my marriage,” Boone said.
Today, Boone said he is working through healing with the support of the group, Hope, Healing and Solidarity (HHS), focused on survivors of abuse. He said the process of recovery is ongoing and deeply personal.
“It’s a lifelong event of healing and hopefully forgiveness to some level,” he said.
The Diocese of Syracuse serves Catholics across seven counties in Central and South Central New York. Church leaders say their focus moving forward includes continued implementation of safety protocols and rebuilding trust with parishioners and survivors.
For survivors like Boone, however, Sunday’s service underscored that healing remains a long road–one shaped by both faith and the lasting impact of abuse.