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Amidst the magnificence of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a crowd of present-day migrants—largely from Latino, Asian, and Black backgrounds—gather on an incline with their humble sacks and bags. An individual in a tee-shirt tenderly carries a child, as a young person in athletic shoes sits solemnly up front. Overhead in the towering clouds, the sacred Lamb rests upon a pale platform within the radiant glow of dangling golden lines implying a heavenly aura.

This compassionate and splendid depiction is a component of one of the most important recent public artworks across a fragmented modern America.

“My hope is that viewers grasp from this artwork,” affirms the painter, “is our shared experience and unity. And to have this enormous platform to say something like that stands as a remarkable opportunity.”

St. Patrick’s, known as “America’s parish church,” serves about 2.5 million New York Archdiocese Catholics. 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 mural is the biggest lasting installation commissioned by the cathedral in its 146-year history.

A Concept of Togetherness

Through the awarded artistic concept, the mural realizes a longtime wish to commemorate the celebrated apparition depicting sacred beings such as Mary, Joseph, John, the Lamb, and heavenly messengers in a rural Irish sanctuary during the late 19th century. The creator broadens that tribute to involve past Irish migrants along with the city’s diverse migrant history.

The mural’s long west wall, adjacent to the primary entrance, displays five historical Catholic luminaries on one side and on the other, a quintet of modern-day uniformed first responders. Each cluster is overseen by a grand heavenly being within a context of luminous lines hinting at spirituality.

Recognizing Diverse Impacts

For the five west-wall Catholic notables the archdiocese named Irish-born archbishop John Hughes, Dorothy Day, the ex-bohemian New Yorker turned social activist, and Pierre Toussaint, the ex-slave who achieved success as a groomer and philanthropist. The painter included early saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American canonized, and chose political figure Al Smith from the early 20th century. The emergency workers were also the creator’s concept.

The piece’s technique is distinctly figurative—a deliberate selection. “Since this is a U.S. artwork, as opposed to overseas,” the painter states. “Abroad, lengthy traditions of church art exist, their methods have evolved. Yet locally, it’s essential.”

A Labor of Dedication

The massive project engaged approximately three dozen contributors, involving a specialist for the precious metal applications. It took five months to sketch the work within a spacious atelier in a waterfront district, then nine months for the arduous painting—clambering up and down a scaffold to gauge things.

“Well, my father was an architect,” he responds. “Thus, I knew how to organize the area.”

Regarding the departing church leader, he declared at the mural’s presentation: “Some have asked me, are you trying to make a statement about immigration? Well, sure we are, all right? In short, that migrants are blessed beings.”

“All are part of this collective,” the creator reiterates. “Whether we like it or not,” he notes. Multiple ideological followers are depicted. Along with assorted faiths. “However, common human experience unites all,” he insists. “It includes those beyond one’s circle.”