🔗 Share this article

Amidst the grandeur of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a throng of today’s immigrants—largely from Latino, Asian, and Black backgrounds—rest on a sloping hill carrying their modest belongings. A father in casual wear holds a baby, and a youth in trainers appears thoughtful at the front. High up among the billowing clouds, the Lamb of God stands on a white altar surrounded by shimmering gold hanging bands suggesting the divine essence.

This compassionate and splendid depiction is a component of a standout new artistic installation across a fragmented modern America.

“The message I aim to convey through this piece,” states the creator, “is our shared experience and unity. And to have this enormous platform to say something like that is an extraordinary privilege.”

The cathedral, often called the nation’s parish church, ministers to around 2.5 million area worshippers. It’s one of the two most important cathedrals in the country and by far the most visible with 5 million visitors a year. This creation is the most substantial fixed work ordered by the church in over a century.

An Inspiration of Solidarity

In the artist’s competition-winning vision, the painting fulfills an enduring desire to mark the renowned sighting of the Virgin Mary, with Joseph, St. John the Baptist, the Lamb of God and angels at a little rural church in Knock, Ireland, in 1879. The creator broadens that tribute to encompass earlier Irish newcomers and New York’s broader multicultural immigration.

The sizable wall on the west side, adjacent to the primary entrance, displays five historical Catholic luminaries paired with five contemporary emergency service members. Over each grouping hovers a monumental angel in a setting again of those gleaming stripes suggesting the divine.

Honoring Diverse Impacts

For the five west-wall Catholic notables the archdiocese named Irish-born archbishop John Hughes, Dorothy Day, the onetime nonconformist turned campaigner, and Pierre Toussaint, the former enslaved Haitian who became a New York society hairdresser and major Catholic benefactor. The painter included early saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American canonized, and chose political figure Al Smith from the early 20th century. The first responders were the artist’s idea too.

The artwork’s approach is clearly realistic—a deliberate selection. “Because this is an American painting, as opposed to overseas,” the painter states. “Overseas, there are centuries of religious artistry, they don’t need to do it that way any more. Yet locally, it’s essential.”

A Labor of Love

The huge undertaking required around thirty individuals, featuring a skilled artisan for the metallic elements. Planning required half a year at a large workspace in an industrial area, followed by three-quarters of a year for the demanding painting—ascending and descending platforms for assessment.

“Well, my father was an architect,” he replies. “Therefore, I grasped spatial planning.”

Regarding the departing church leader, he announced during the artwork’s unveiling: “People inquire if this comments on migration? Absolutely, indeed. Specifically, that newcomers are divine creations.”

“Everyone shares this experience,” the painter echoes. “Despite personal feelings,” he continues. Multiple ideological followers are depicted. Along with assorted faiths. “But shared humanity means shared humanity,” he maintains. “It includes those beyond one’s circle.”