Albany, NY--Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C-Ballston Lake) today at the New York State Capitol met with newly appointed Albany Catholic Diocese Bishop Mark O’Connell and briefly discussed the Senator’s appeal to Pope Leo XIV and the Bishop to help make the more than 1,100 dedicated former St. Clare’s Hospital pensioners financially whole.

Tedisco sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV and Bishop O’Connell on December 19, 2025 requesting the Vatican intervene to expedite payment to the struggling pensioners, many of whom have lost their homes and been forced to go back to work in what should be their golden years.

“Today at our first Senate Republican Conference of the year, our new Bishop Mark O’Connell visited and I welcomed him and had a short conversation about holding a meeting with myself and St. Clare’s Hospital Pensioners President Mary Hartshorne to discuss a letter I sent to the Pope and copied him on about expediting assistance to the retirees as decided in the recent court decision.  Bishop O’Connell said he would be open to the meeting and I look forward to scheduling that soon!” said Senator Jim Tedisco, who represents many of the St. Clare’s pensioners and has been a steadfast advocate for them since day one.

In 2018, the St. Clare’s Pension Board with little notice, notified the 1,100-plus pensioners that their retrement savings had suddenly collapsed, but as revealed in the recent Schenectady court case, we now know that’s not the case because it was cratering for years. Among the Pension Board members, were the past two bishops of the Diocese: Bishop Edward Scharfenberger and the late Bishop Howard Hubbard.

In December 2025, a Schenectady court awarded the pensioners $54.2 million in damages after a jury found employees of the Albany Catholic Diocese including Bishops Scharfenberger and Hubbard liable for breaches related to the hospital’s pension plan. 

According to the Judge in the case, the Honorable Vincent Versaci, the jury “did find the Diocese vicariously liable of the actions of their employees.” Since this verdict, Bishop Scharfenberger and another Board member have filed for bankruptcy.