Catholic Shrines & Places of Interest in New York City
About New York City:
Having been settled by the Dutch in the 17th century, the city was originally named New Amsterdam. On September 8, 1664, New Amsterdam was peacefully surrendered to an English naval squadron, marking the end of Dutch rule and the beginning of English control. In June 1665, New Amsterdam was reincorporated under English law as New York City, named after the Duke of York (later King James II). He was the brother of King Charles II, who had been granted the lands.
Now nicknamed “The Big Apple”, New York City has long been the primary financial hub of the United States, a position built on a combination of geographic advantage, early institutional development, and sustained economic growth. Philadelphia led early in the 18th century with the nation’s first bank and stock exchange, but New York’s strategic port location and the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 gave it a decisive advantage.
By the late 1790s, New York City had surpassed Philadelphia in imports, and exports followed the next year. The New York Stock Exchange was founded in 1792, anchoring equity trading in Lower Manhattan before modern federal regulation. Federal laws like the National Banking Acts of 1863–1864 further cemented its dominance.
Millions of Catholic immigrants arrived here in the 19th Century, many of them from heavily Catholic countries. Sadly, many of them had to deal with discrimination towards Catholics in their new country, especially the Irish. Signs of “No Irish Need Apply” posted on many a company’s door attest to that—and, of course, almost all Irish were Catholic. The same was often the case for others as well: Italians, Poles, etc….. almost all of whom were from predominantly Catholic countries. As time went on, of course, this changed to where the city now has a very large Catholic population.
New York City is divided in to five Boroughs: Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and The Bronx.
Each of these could be a city in its own right….with New York City’s five boroughs totaling over 8.5 million residents. Brooklyn is the most populous with over 2.6 million, followed by Queens (approx.2.2 million), Manhattan (approx. 1.7 million), The Bronx (approx. 1.3 million), and Staten Island (approx. half a million). The city experienced a population rebound after pandemic-era declines.
Brooklyn
The most populous of the five boroughs of New York City, located at the westernmost end of Long Island.
Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help: patterned after Basilica of St Francis in Assisi.
Church of the Virgin Mary Melkite Catholic Church: Eastern Rite…in full communion with Rome.
Saint Josaphat Oratory: Traditional Latin Mass under the auspices of the Institute of Christ the King.
Manhattan
Basilica of Regina Pacis: shrine to the Blessed Mother for the safe return from World War II of the men of the parish, as well as the whole country.
Basilica of Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral: original Cathedral of the Archdiocse of N.Y. with an interesting history
Blessed Sacrament Church: Renowned for its Gothic architecture.
Most Holy Redeemer Church: over 150 relics of saints
Padre Pio Shrine in the Church of St. John the Baptist: Saint Padre Pio’s image and two relics here in this church
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine: Relics of Mother Cabrini
Saint Joseph Church in Greenwich Village: Perpetual Adoration Chapel (only Perpetual Adoration chapel in New York City)
Saint Malachy’s Church (“The Actors Chapel”): Many famous Broadway actors and actresses attended here.
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral: famous landmark and also has the tomb of Venerable Pierre Toussaint,
Saint Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church: magnificent French Gothic architecture in a church built by the Dominicans
Saints Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church: offers many Masses in Polish
Shrine of Our Lady of Aradin: Our Lady of Persecuted Christians: dedicated to those in the Middle East, located inside Saint Michael’s Church here in New York City and is the first such shrine in the world.
The Catholic Memorial at Ground Zero (St. Joseph’s Church): Special memorial honoring the Catholic heroes of 9/11
The Church of Saint Paul the Apostle: run by the Paulist Fathers, close to Central Park
Queens
Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church: Saint Sharbel healing masses.
Staten Island
The least populated New York City borough but the third largest in land area at 58.5 square miles (152 square kilometers ); it is also the least densely populated.
Alba House Wayside Shrine: Open air Shrine open 24/7 for prayer and reflection.
The Bronx
The only New York City borough preceded by “The,” the name originates from the 17th-century settler Jonas Bronck, with residents historically referring to the area as “the Bronck’s land” or, later, “the Bronx River” area, eventually shortening to just “The Bronx”.
Church of Saints Anselm and Saint Roch: beautiful church inspired by Saint Sophia Basilica in Istanbul, Turkey. Spanish-language parish.
And…some other interesting places for Catholics in New York City:
A Catholic Repertory Theater by the Dominican Friars (Blackfriars) (external link)
A Catholic Guest House for travelers: The Leo House (external link)
The Cloisters: Part of the Met, it contains elements from medieval cloisters brought over from Europe
Check out the All City 3-day Pass…a great bargain
Traveling to New York City:
By plane:: The city is served by three airports: JFK, La Guardia, and Liberty (located in Newark, New Jersey…just across the river from New York).
By train: There are train connections from both Penn Station and Grand Central Station.