Arches of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral rise 85 feet.
Posted on 12/03/2010 1:46:09 PM PST by NYer
Arches of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral rise 85 feet.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/12/03/2010-12-03_new_day_at_old_st_pats_pope_designates_historic_church_citys_first_basilica.html#ixzz175QlZeFn
You can just picture Martin Scorsese as an awestruck boy inside St. Patrick's Old Cathedral on Mulberry St. - its arches flying heavenward, sunlight peeping through stained-glass saints, its organ pumping.
He paid homage to Old St. Pat's in "Mean Streets" and in "Gangs of New York," where he depicted a night in 1844 when Archbishop John Hughes filled the street with 3,000 armed Catholics ready to fight an approaching mob of Protestants.
When Francis Ford Coppola needed a beautiful sanctuary to contrast with his operalike multiple-murder scene in "The Godfather III" he chose this church.
Why not? There are 200 years of history here: Slave-born Haitian philanthropist Pierre Toussaint gave money to build it.
French Revolution escapee John Dubois, who had a tough time as St. Pat's only non-Irish archbishop, is buried under the steps, "so people can walk on me, as they did in life."
St. Elizabeth Seton started its school, and the St. Patrick's Day Parade was born here, before it moved to the new cathedral uptown.
No doubt that's why Pope Benedict agreed with Archbishop Timothy Dolan to declare it a basilica - New York's first.
On Sunday, the archbishop will make it official in a ceremony full of ritual, bells and a canopy, or ombrellino, embroidered with Vatican symbols and the red and yellow colors of Rome.
"It's beautiful to the eye," Dolan said. "It's all part of the human way we feel closer to God. It made a lot of sense to make it a basilica, and the Pope agreed. It will be his parish church in New York.
"This title of basilica is our way of saying, you know, Holy Father, we have a church that is historic, and beautiful ... and if you make it a basilica, it will make us feel closer to you. He agreed.
"Perhaps I'll ask him to pay some of the bills," Dolan joked.
It's sort of a lifetime achievement award for the church, but Old St. Pat's Msgr. Donald Sakano is looking to the future as he takes a cue from Dolan, who hit the ground blogging last year when he was named leader of New York's Catholics.
The growing group of Nolita young professionals who pack the church are encouraging the monsignor to change, and he's responding. "This is a vibrant neighborhood, full of young people, and it's a new world, with social media and other forms of coming together," Sakano said. They're developing a Facebook page, natch.
"Cafe Gitano across the street is always full - and we have an empty courtyard. Why not put tables there so people can congregate? Maybe we'll put quotes from the Bible on paper tablecloths. ... Maybe we can develop an app to send out a thought for the day. People need to be inspired. They come to the city, and the economy's rough. ... It can be punishing."
Sakano wants to open the crypt for tours to help raise money for badly needed repairs to, among other things, the 10-foot wall Hughes put up to protect the Catholics from the marauding Protestants.
"People want to come together," Sakano said. "They need to be inspired. It makes you more creative that way."
You don't have to tell that to Martin Scorsese.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/12/03/2010-12-03_new_day_at_old_st_pats_pope_designates_historic_church_citys_first_basilica.html#ixzz175Ptykyk
I love it! The Pope’s got a real eye for beauty.
I was there as a teen. Truly an inspiration.
Hope to post a follow up thread with lots of pictures.
makes it all the more impressive.
Not that it's not dark, but I've never felt dismal there.
That´d be really neat. I´ll look for EWTN online too.
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