New York City, New York, United States
. . . If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by thy Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
—Bible, Matthew 18:29–20
Approaching Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on busy Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, you may be struck by how different it is from the surrounding cityscape. The cathedral appears to be more medieval European than the nineteenth-century New Yorker it is. Built in 1858, Saint Patrick’s is a neo-Gothic masterpiece with a lavishly decorated marble facade and many squared spires, including two flanking the grand front entrance and rising 330 feet from street level. You will feel as if you are entering a different world as you step from the bustling city street through the entrance and inside the nave. Cavernous and quiet, this sanctuary surrounds its visitors with peace as the sunlight shimmers through exquisite stained glass windows and reveals soaring arches and stunning artwork. So it is that more than five million faithful and hopeful from around the globe are drawn to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral each year.
Whether you seek deeper communion with the universal family or your own family, come to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Find it in Midtown Manhattan on Fifth Avenue between Fiftieth and Fifty-First streets, six blocks from Grand Central Station (rail), near subway and bus stops, or you can always hail a taxi.
Light a candle and pray for a special intention for loved ones.
Among the cathedral’s extraordinary works of sacred art are two altars by Tiffany & Company, Charles Connick’s rose window, and a Pietà by William Ordway Partridge that is three times larger than Michelangelo’s original.