FLUSHING — Hundreds filled the pews at Mary’s Nativity Church on Oct. 29 for the diocese’s annual Mass of Hope and Healing for survivors of clergy sex abuse.
Among those in attendance was survivor Gene Doyle of Howard Beach, who told The Tablet that he has “found these liturgies to be very helpful” over the years.
Father Jeffrey Dillon, a retired priest-in-residence at St. Kevin Church, also attended as both a priest and a survivor. He echoed Doyle’s sentiment that the annual Mass is an important occasion for survivors.
“It certainly is an opportunity for people to come together and to recognize that there’s a community of faith that supports them and journeys with them,” Father Dillon told The Tablet, noting that “in the hands of God, all healing is possible.”
The Mass, which was celebrated by Bishop Robert Brennan, has been offered every year in the diocese since 2015, except in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bishop Brennan told The Tablet he’s encouraged by the number of lay faithful and clergy who attend each year.
“We’re really trying to work hard to provide safe environments, to address where things are wrong, to be instruments of healing and peace when we can,” Bishop Brennan said. “In the Church — the Church’s leaders, its clergy, its people — we’re all flawed and limited, and we’re doing the best that we can.
“And on a night like this, when we can gather and be together, it’s a source of great strength and inspiration.”
Last February, Bishop Brennan announced that the diocese was pursuing a “global resolution” to resolve the approximately 1,100 remaining sexual abuse claims against the diocese, stemming from the New York Child Victims Act.
At the Mass of Hope and Healing, Elizabeth Harris, the diocese’s victim assistance coordinator, said a settlement would be an important step, but it would not erase the suffering experienced by survivors.
“It is something that’s on all of our minds, and we know that it will be good to come to that global settlement,” Harris said.
“But we also understand that there isn’t any settlement that will ease the pain and the hardship of those who have suffered clergy abuse.
“So it doesn’t matter if there’s a global settlement and there’s a dollar amount, we’re still going to be here for people to walk with them, to listen to them, to comfort them and just give them the support that they so deserve.”
Anyone who is a victim of sexual abuse within the diocese is encouraged to call the confidential reporting line (888-634-4499), which connects directly to law enforcement authorities.
For information on how the diocese is dealing with clergy sex abuse, visit the website of the Office of Safe Environment and “Protecting Our Children” on the Diocese of Brooklyn’s website.
Jessica Easthope contributed to this report.