Catholic Shrines & Places of Interest in New York City
Nicknamed “The Big Apple”, New York City has long been the center of finance and more in the U.S. Although in recent years other cities have challenged its place, it still remains one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.
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.
In addition to train connections from both Penn Station and Grand Central, the city is served by three airports: JFK, La Guardia, and Liberty (Newark, New Jersey just across the river from New York). You can get cheap airfares here.
New York City is divided in to five Boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.
Each of these could be a city in its own right….with New York City’s five boroughs totaling over 8.3 million residents. Brooklyn is the most populous with over 2.6 million, followed by Queens (approx.2.18 million), Manhattan (approx. 1.7 million), The Bronx (approx. 1.3 million), and Staten Island (approx. half a million).
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.
Brooklyn
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 intersting history
Saint Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic Church: magnificent French Gothic architecture in a church built by the Dominicans
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral: famous landmark and also has the tomb of Venerable Pierre Toussaint,
Saint Joseph Church in Greenwich Village: Perpetual Adoration Chapel (only Perpetual Adoration chapel in New York City)
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 Malachy’s Church (“The Actors Chapel”): Many famous Broadway actors and actresses attended here
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: St Sharbel healing masses.
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