St. Patrick’s Cathedral mural honors immigrants, first responders, NY saints

A new 25-foot-high mural that covers the walls of the entrance to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and was officially dedicated before Mass Sept. 21 celebrates New York’s sacred and secular history.

The largest permanent artwork commissioned in the 146-year history of “America’s Parish Church,” the painting depicts the apparition at Knock in Ireland, along with New York saints, servants of God, immigrants and first responders.

At a morning press event Sept. 18, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan and Brooklyn artist Adam Cvijanovic unveiled the mural, and the cardinal discussed how his initial vision for a representation of the Knock apparition evolved.

“This became not only an ode to Jesus and Mary and Joseph and St. John and the faith of the Irish people who were so instrumental in this archdiocese, it also became an ode to those who followed them and found in this city, this country, and yes, in this Holy Mother Church, an embrace of welcome,” Cardinal Dolan said.

“I thought when I started making this painting, that the important thing to do was to make it about people and portraits,” Cvijanovic said of his work, which is titled, “What’s So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding.”

“So, everybody in this painting is an actual person. They’re all portraits. Even the angels,” he said. “And that seemed to me to be a really, really important thing to do, to talk about the people of the city, all of them, and to have it in some place that people could go in New York and feel themselves recognized in the context of respect and hope.”

Father Enrique Salvo, himself an immigrant from Nicaragua, said that the story told on the panels was particularly meaningful for him.

“If you would have told me that I was going to be the rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, when I came to this country, I would have never believed it,” he said. “But with God, all things are possible, and hopefully it’s an inspiration for everyone that walks in, that we’re not only welcome, but we’re also invited to make a difference and to let God shine through us.”

Cardinal Dolan noted that he originally wanted the mural as part of the last major renovation of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 2012, but the cathedral’s trustees advised that he wait. He thanked them for their wise advice.

“I’m kind of glad now, because it matured — it was like a crock pot,” he said.

Cardinal Dolan said that major benefactors covered the cost of the mural, and expressed his gratitude that no further funds needed to be raised to complete the project.

“My wife and I support a lot of causes that are more direct, such as education, feeding the hungry, healthcare, social services, and things like that,” said Kevin Conway, who with his wife, Dee, were major benefactors of the mural. “But this struck me as a project that we could honor a good friend, His Eminence (Cardinal Dolan), but more importantly, you could make an impact and tell a story to the millions of people who come through these doors, and tell an important story.”

Each panel tells a different part of the New York story, along with the apparition at Knock — an 1879 vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, angels and the Lamb of God — witnessed by more than a dozen townspeople in County Mayo, Ireland, the same year St. Patrick’s Cathedral was consecrated.

One panel depicts early immigrants to New York and features a likeness of a young girl — for whom an image of Cardinal Dolan’s late mother, Shirley, served as the model.

“I am thrilled that she is here among those,” he said, pointing out that his mother herself was not an immigrant.

Another panel features New Yorkers of consequence to the church, including Archbishop John Hughes, the first archbishop of New York; St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American and and the church’s first Indigenous from North America; former New York Gov.Al Smith; Servant of God Dorothy Day; and Venerable Pierre Toussaint.

This story was updated at 4:25 p.m.

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