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“We didn’t know we’d have AARP Foundation representing us,” says Mary. “I can never thank them enough. They’ve gone above and beyond. They knew all the avenues they could explore. They made

us feel like we matter.” The case has drawn national attention from the beginning, and not just from the press. The New York State Attorney General’s office investigated the situation

alongside AARP Foundation, bringing its own lawsuit last summer. Earlier this year, the federal government got involved, with the U.S. Government Accountability Office opening an

investigation into church-affiliated pension plans. “I never thought it was going to balloon like this,” Mary says. In the latest development, the Diocese chose not to oppose a motion to

lift an automatic stay placed on the case when the Diocese filed for bankruptcy in March 2023. In an interview with a local news channel, Mary said, “I’m thrilled that, finally, after five

years, they’re agreeing to something moving forward, instead of delay, delay, delay.” The bankruptcy court lifted the stay in June, sending the case back to state court. For those who had

planned their futures around the pension, the loss of it has been calamitous. Mary had to sell the home where she wanted to live out her days. “My pension paid my mortgage,” she says. “I had

a little house on a little lake. It was peaceful and beautiful, and I loved it. But I’m not the only one. Many, many people have had broken hearts, broken plans. It’s just devastating.”

Tireless in seeking a just outcome, she has spent countless hours on the phone and in person with attorneys and politicians, arranged meetings and Q&A sessions for the pensioners, and

given dozens of interviews to local media. Standing up to the diocese was risky, but Mary is resolute in her mission. “There’s a lot to lose by sticking your neck out, but I’ve already lost

my home. There’s nothing more to take.” The support from her community keeps Mary moving forward. “Something is wrong that this happened to 1,100 of the kindest, most caring, loving people

in the world. A lot of people over the past five years have come up to me and said, ‘Don’t stop doing what you’re doing. Don’t give up.’” “It’s been a long road,” she adds, “but I don’t have

any regrets.” Learn more about AARP FOUNDATION LITIGATION and its work to give older people a voice in the nation’s courts. _READ MORE STORIES about how our programs have helped people find

hope, and about the volunteers who give so much of themselves to help others. _