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In the grandeur of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a gathering of present-day migrants—largely from Latino, Asian, and Black backgrounds—gather on an incline holding their simple possessions. A man in a T-shirt cradles an infant, and a youth in trainers appears thoughtful at the front. Above in the lofty skies, the Lamb of God stands on a white altar within the radiant glow of dangling golden lines implying a heavenly aura.

This humane and magnificent scene forms part of a standout new artistic installation across a fragmented modern America.

“What I want people to realize from the mural,” declares the artist, “is that everyone belongs in this collective journey. And to have this enormous platform to say something like that is an extraordinary privilege.”

This house of worship, referred to as the people’s church, ministers to around 2.5 million area worshippers. It ranks among the top two cathedrals nationally and sees the highest foot traffic with five million tourists each year. This mural is the biggest lasting installation ordered by the church in over a century.

A Vision of Togetherness

In the artist’s competition-winning vision, the mural realizes a longtime wish to commemorate the celebrated apparition of the Virgin Mary, with Joseph, St. John the Baptist, the Lamb of God and angels at a little rural church in Knock, Ireland, in 1879. The artist expands that commemoration to encompass earlier Irish newcomers and the metropolitan area’s varied immigrant groups.

The sizable wall on the west side, beside the main entryways, features a quintet of historic local Catholic notables 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.

Celebrating Multifaceted Contributions

Regarding the five Catholic icons the archdiocese named Irish-born archbishop John Hughes, Dorothy Day, the former free spirit turned advocate, and Pierre Toussaint, the former enslaved Haitian who became a New York society hairdresser and major Catholic benefactor. The artist added New York state’s 17th-century Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the initial Native American saint, and picked Al Smith, the popular New York politico of the 1920s and 1930s. 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 creator notes. “Europeans have hundreds of years of incredible ecclesiastical art, they don’t need to do it that way any more. Yet locally, it’s essential.”

An Endeavor of Passion

The mural’s enormous labor involved about 30 people, involving a specialist for the precious metal applications. The drafting phase lasted several months in a huge studio in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, followed by three-quarters of a year for the demanding painting—moving up and down structures for evaluation.

“Given my familial background in design,” he replies. “So I understood how to plan for the space.”

As for the retiring cardinal, he stated at the piece’s introduction: “Some have asked me, are you trying to make a statement about immigration? Absolutely, indeed. In short, that migrants are blessed beings.”

“Everyone shares this experience,” the painter echoes. “Despite personal feelings,” he notes. Multiple ideological followers are depicted. Plus various beliefs. “Yet, universal human traits bind everyone,” he affirms. “It extends beyond personal compatibility.”