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In the neo-gothic splendor of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a crowd of today’s immigrants—largely from Latino, Asian, and Black backgrounds—rest on a sloping hill with their humble sacks and bags. A man in a T-shirt cradles an infant, and a youth in trainers appears thoughtful at the front. High up among the billowing clouds, the Lamb of God stands on a white altar surrounded by shimmering gold hanging bands evoking the presence of God.

This humane and magnificent scene forms part of one of the most important recent public artworks across a fragmented modern America.

“What I want people to realize from the mural,” declares the artist, “is that we’re all in this together. To utilize such a vast canvas for this statement stands as a remarkable opportunity.”

The cathedral, often called the nation’s parish church, serves about 2.5 million New York Archdiocese Catholics. It ranks among the top two cathedrals nationally and sees the highest foot traffic with five million tourists each year. This creation is the most substantial fixed work commissioned by the cathedral in its 146-year history.

An Inspiration of Togetherness

Via the prize-winning idea, the painting fulfills an enduring desire to honor the famed vision of the Virgin Mary, with Joseph, St. John the Baptist, the Lamb of God and angels in a rural Irish sanctuary during the late 19th century. The creator broadens that tribute to encompass earlier Irish newcomers and the metropolitan area’s varied immigrant groups.

The sizable wall on the west side, adjacent to the primary entrance, features a quintet of historic local Catholic notables on one side and on the other, a quintet of modern-day uniformed first responders. Over each grouping hovers a monumental angel in a setting again of those gleaming stripes evoking God’s presence.

Celebrating Multifaceted Impacts

Concerning the quintet of religious figures the institution highlighted founder John Hughes, Dorothy Day, the onetime nonconformist turned campaigner, and Pierre Toussaint, the once-enslaved individual who rose to prominence as a stylist and donor. The painter included early saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the premier indigenous holy figure, and picked Al Smith, the popular New York politico of the 1920s and 1930s. The first responders were the artist’s idea too.

The artwork’s approach is clearly realistic—a deliberate selection. “Given that this is a domestic piece, not a European one,” the painter states. “Abroad, lengthy traditions of church art exist, their methods have evolved. Yet locally, it’s essential.”

A Labor of Passion

The mural’s enormous labor involved about 30 people, including an eminent fine-art gilder for the upper-mural stripes of gold leaf, platinum and heated titanium. The drafting phase lasted several months in a huge studio in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, and then most of a year for the intensive artwork—clambering up and down a scaffold to gauge things.

“Well, my father was an architect,” he replies. “So I understood how to plan for the space.”

Regarding the departing church leader, he announced during the artwork’s unveiling: “People inquire if this comments on migration? Absolutely, indeed. Specifically, that newcomers are divine creations.”

“Everyone shares this experience,” the creator reiterates. “Whether we like it or not,” he adds. Multiple ideological followers are depicted. And multiple different religions. “Yet, universal human traits bind everyone,” he affirms. “It’s not reserved just for whom you get along with.”