Nevertheless, it took many decades before Catholic churches would be built in central New York. There were very few Catholics settled there, and only a small number of them could make the journey to Albany or New York City to attend Mass. Among them were John C. Devereux, first mayor of Utica, who was a member of the board of trustees of St. Mary's Church in Albany, and Dominick Lynch, founder of Rome, New York, who was one of the signatories of an address of congratulations by the Catholics of the United States presented to George Washington upon his election. The population of Catholics swelled when teams of Irish Catholics arrived to construct the Erie Canal, and also when the opening of the canal increased trade, commerce, and additional immigration. Rev. Paul McQuade, pastor of St. Mary's Church in Albany from 1813 to 1815, frequently visited Utica, and probably celebrated Masses there in private homes. The first public Mass in the city of Utica was celebrated in the Courthouse on January 10, 1819. The advent of railroads brought an ever-increasing number of immigrants to Syracuse. The decision was made to form the diocese of Syracuse, which took place on November 20, 1886. Rev. Patrick Anthony Ludden, former vicar general of the Diocese of Albany, was named bishop, and St. John the Evangelist Church was selected to serve as the first cathedral. Bishop Ludden built a new cathedral, Immaculate Conception, and consecrated it on September 25, 1910. During the tenure of Bishop Curley, the Catholic population of the diocese increased from 173,200 to 201,152. He established 28 parishes and 18 schools. Sex abuse scandal and bankruptcy In June 2020 Bishop Lucia announced that the diocese had filled for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it struggled to deal with the cost of the lawsuits of hundreds of cases of sexual abuse allegations. Lucia said that he made the decision to file for bankruptcy to make sure the diocese would not become insolvent and to ensure that all the alleged victims got something for their lawsuits, although some lawyers of the plaintiffs claimed that the diocese was seeking to avoid the lawsuits. Just days before filing for bankruptcy, 38 people filed new sex abuse lawsuits under the New York Child Victims Act. Bishops The list of ordinaries of the diocese and their years of service: Patrick Anthony Ludden (1886–1912) John Grimes (1912–1922) Daniel Joseph