The first question is which diocese
New York’s dioceses are in materially different legal positions. Some reorganised through
Chapter 11 and concluded; one is still in process; two never filed at all. That single fact
changes the route, the deadlines and who decides.
The comparison is set out on the clergy abuse
page.
Parish, school and order can be separate defendants
A diocese is not the only possible defendant. A parish, a parish school, or a religious order
that placed and supervised a member may each carry responsibility. Where a diocese reorganised,
entities outside the reorganisation can sometimes remain answerable.
What churches keep
Assignment histories, personnel files, correspondence about complaints, and records of
transfers between parishes. The recurring pattern in these cases is not an absence of records. It is records showing that a concern was raised and the response was to move someone.
Time limits in New York depend on how old you were, who was responsible and the particular facts. There is no single deadline that applies to everyone. Ask rather than assume. It is a free call.
Does it matter that it was not a Catholic church?
No. Duties around screening, supervision and responding to concerns apply to religious organisations generally. What changes is the structure, whether there is a diocese, a synod, a national body or an independent congregation.
The priest belonged to a religious order rather than the diocese.
An important distinction. Orders are frequently separate legal entities, and one may remain answerable when the other has reorganised through bankruptcy.
My family still attends the parish.
A common and difficult position. A confidential conversation commits you to nothing, and questions about how and when anything becomes known are addressed before any filing.