New York city guide · TripCatholic

Catholic New York begins with a captive: the Jesuit Isaac Jogues, ransomed from the Mohawks, who reached New Amsterdam in 1643 and heard the confessions of the only two Catholics he found. A century and a half of penal laws followed. Then Saint Peter's on Barclay Street opened in 1786, the oldest Catholic parish in the state, where Elizabeth Ann Seton was received into the Church in 1805 and Pierre Toussaint went to daily Mass. Old Saint Patrick's on Mulberry Street was the first cathedral, and Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, begun in 1858, is the mother church of the archdiocese. Irish, Italian, German, Polish, Puerto Rican, Haitian and many other newcomers built their own parishes and feasts, among them Most Precious Blood in Little Italy. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini lies in her shrine in Washington Heights. Brooklyn has its own cathedral basilica, Saint James. Mass is in English almost everywhere, and in Spanish and many other languages in most neighborhoods.

Fly over New York in 3DA tour of a Church that began here illegallyStart the tour

HistoryA Catholic History of New YorkCatholic New York begins with the Jesuit Isaac Jogues, a captive who heard two confessions on Manhattan in 1643, and passes through a century of penal laws before Saint Peter's opens in 1786. The diocese came in 1808, Archbishop Hughes laid the cornerstone of the Fifth Avenue cathedral in 1858, and Irish, Italian, German, Puerto Rican, Haitian and other immigrants filled the parishes. Seton, Toussaint, Cabrini, Dorothy Day and Fulton Sheen belong to the city, and every pope since Paul VI in 1965 has come, the latest being Francis in 2015. Archbishop Ronald Hicks was installed on February 6, 2026.Read the full history

Top sites

Saint Patrick's CathedralNew York, United StatesCathedral church of the Archdiocese of New York, the largest Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral in North America, housing the crypt of nine archbishops of New York and Venerable Pierre Toussaint, first-class relics of Saint Charbel, and bronze doors depicting six American saints.

Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old CathedralNew York, United StatesNew York's first Catholic cathedral, elevated to minor basilica, housing underground catacombs, the tomb of Bishop John Connolly, and the Henry Erben pipe organ of exceptional historical merit.

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini ShrineNew York, United StatesShrine housing the major relics of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen canonized, featuring a bronze-and-glass reliquary casket beneath the main altar and a life mosaic in Carrara marble and gilded Venetian glass.

Saint Peter – Our Lady of Victory ParishNew York, United StatesOldest Catholic parish in New York State, founded 1785, where Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton converted to Catholicism and housing the 9/11 Catholic Memorial.

National Shrine of Saint Vincent FerrerNew York, United StatesDominican-run National Shrine in Manhattan's Upper East Side, housing two first-class relics of Saint Vincent Ferrer and offering the rare traditional Dominican Rite Mass.

Saint Malachy | The Actors' ChapelNew York, United StatesNew York City's Theater District parish, housing the Chapel of Saint Genesius below the main church, known for its century-long ministry to Broadway performers and the tradition of lighting candles before opening night.

Church of the Most Precious BloodNew York, United StatesNational Shrine of Saint Januarius in New York's Little Italy, housing a first-class relic of the saint's blood and serving as the spiritual center of the annual Feast of San Gennaro.

The Met CloistersNew York, United StatesMuseum branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art housing four authentic medieval cloisters, a reconstructed 12th-century Romanesque apse, the Unicorn Tapestries, the Mérode Altarpiece, and major illuminated manuscripts including the Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux.

The Saints of New York

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
Born in New York in 1774, received into the Church at Saint Peter's on March 14, 1805, and canonized on September 14, 1975 as the first native born saint of the United States. She lived at 8 State Street from 1801 to 1803, where her shrine stands. She is buried at Emmitsburg, Maryland. Her feast is January 4.
Saint Peter – Our Lady of Victory Parish Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
Landed in New York on March 31, 1889 with six sisters to serve Italian immigrants and stayed after the archbishop told her to go back. She founded schools, an orphanage and Columbus Hospital, was canonized on July 7, 1946 and is the patron of immigrants. Major relics are in her Washington Heights shrine. Her feast is November 13.
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini Shrine
Venerable Pierre Toussaint
Born enslaved in Saint-Domingue, brought to New York in 1787 and freed in 1807, he worked as a hairdresser, went to daily Mass at Saint Peter's, nursed the sick and raised money for orphans. He died on June 30, 1853 and was buried at Old Saint Patrick's, where his headstone remains. Cardinal O'Connor moved his body to the cathedral crypt in 1990.
Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral Saint Patrick's Cathedral Saint Peter – Our Lady of Victory Parish
Blessed Fulton Sheen
Auxiliary bishop of New York from 1951 and the host of Life Is Worth Living on television from 1952 to 1957. He died in New York on December 9, 1979, was buried in the cathedral crypt until his body was moved to Peoria in 2019, and was beatified in St. Louis on September 24, 2026. His feast is December 9.
Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Servant of God Dorothy Day
Baptized at Tottenville on Staten Island on December 28, 1927, she founded the Catholic Worker with Peter Maurin in Union Square on May 1, 1933 and died at Maryhouse on November 29, 1980. Her cause is at the stage of the positio. Her Catholic Worker houses are in the East Village.
The North American Martyrs
Isaac Jogues, the first priest known on Manhattan in 1643, René Goupil and Jean de Lalande were killed by the Mohawks at Ossernenon, today Auriesville, about three hours north of the city. They were canonized together in 1930.
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Born at Ossernenon, today Auriesville, in 1656 and baptized in 1676 at the Mohawk village on the site of Fonda, she was canonized in 2012. Her shrines are in the Mohawk Valley, about three hours north of the city.
Saint John Neumann
The young Bohemian priest was ordained at Old Saint Patrick's on June 25, 1836, three weeks after he landed, and went on to be bishop of Philadelphia. His feast is January 5.
Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral
Blessed Solanus Casey
The Capuchin porter served in New York from 1904 to 1924, at Yonkers, on Pitt Street and in East Harlem, before he went to Detroit, where he is buried.
Saint Vincent Ferrer
The Dominican preacher of Valencia, who died in 1419, gives his name to the Dominican church on Lexington Avenue, dedicated in 1918. His feast is April 5, and May 5 in the Dominican calendar.
National Shrine of Saint Vincent Ferrer
Saint Januarius (San Gennaro)
The bishop of Benevento martyred around 305 is the patron of Naples. The Neapolitans of Little Italy have held his feast on Mulberry Street since 1926, and the feast day Mass is at Most Precious Blood on September 19.
Church of the Most Precious Blood
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
The Byzantine icon is honored at the Redemptorist basilica in Sunset Park, where a novena has been prayed since May 6, 1894.
Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Mexican New York fills Saint Patrick's Cathedral on December 12 after the torch run from Mexico City, and Brooklyn's Mexican communities gather at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Joseph.
Saint Patrick's Cathedral Co-Cathedral of Saint Joseph
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The feast of July 16 has been kept in East Harlem since 1881, and in Williamsburg the Giglio tower is danced for her and Saint Paulinus every July.
Saint Charbel Makhluf
The Maronite hermit and priest of Lebanon, canonized in 1977, is honored by the Maronites of New York, whose cathedral is in Brooklyn Heights.
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Cathedral
Saint John Paul II
He came to New York in 1979 and 1995, prayed at Saint Patrick's Cathedral both times and made an unscheduled stop at Saint James in Brooklyn in 1979.
Saint Patrick's Cathedral Cathedral Basilica of Saint James
Saint Paul VI
On October 4, 1965 he made the first papal visit to the Americas, a 14 hour day that included Saint Patrick's Cathedral, the United Nations and Mass at Yankee Stadium.
Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Saint Lorenzo Ruiz
A statue of the first Filipino saint was enthroned at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in October 2023, and the Filipino community fills the cathedral for Simbang Gabi in December.
Saint Patrick's Cathedral

Beyond the churches

Views, walks and the town between the churches.

The Staten Island Ferry
The ferry between Whitehall Terminal at 4 South Street and Saint George Terminal on Staten Island is free, runs 24 hours a day and takes about 25 minutes. We checked siferry.com on October 30, 2026: it sails every 15 to 20 minutes from 6:00 to 9:30 a.m. and from 3:30 to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and about every 30 minutes otherwise. You never need a ticket, and the site warns about people who sell them. The Statue of Liberty is on the right going out. Whitehall Terminal is about 180 meters from the Seton Shrine.
Church of Our Lady of the Rosary

Itineraries

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In New York

1 day · 3 sitesA Day in Catholic BrooklynThe cathedral basilica, the Maronite cathedral and the co-cathedral, with two basilicas to the south

1 day · 3 sitesChristmas and Advent in Catholic New YorkAn Advent weekday at the cathedral, with notes for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Guadalupe

Day trips from New York

Collections

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8 sitesHidden Gems of New York: Places Most Pilgrims MissEight places off the usual route, each worth the detour

9 sitesImmigrant and National Parishes of New York: Italian, German, Polish, Lebanese and MoreTen parishes built by the groups who came to New York and Newark

9 sitesMarian Shrines of New York and the RegionNine shrines to Our Lady, from Brooklyn to Fatima in New Jersey

7 sitesWhere Catholic New York BeganThe first parishes of a Church that had been illegal here

9 sitesNew York Saints and Causes: Cabrini, Seton, Toussaint and MoreNine places where saints lived, were ordained or are venerated

10 sitesThe Religious Orders and Their Houses Around New YorkTen houses of Dominicans, Benedictines, Redemptorists, Salesians and other orders

Featured Events

Good to know

The cathedral on Fifth Avenue is open every day from 6:45 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. Mass needs no ticket except Midnight Mass on December 25, Easter Sunday at 10:15, Saint Patrick's Day at 8:30 and the Columbus Day Mass. Men remove their hats, only water is allowed inside, phone calls are forbidden and bags are searched and cannot be left. There is a wheelchair ramp on 51st Street. Checked on October 30, 2026 against the cathedral's FAQ page; crypt and tour times are unconfirmed.

Article · 7 minVisiting Saint Patrick's CathedralRead

No. His body was moved from the crypt to the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Illinois on June 27, 2019, and he was beatified in St. Louis on September 24, 2026. The crypt holds nine archbishops of New York and Venerable Pierre Toussaint. Whether visitors can enter the crypt is not stated on the cathedral's official pages (checked October 30, 2026), so ask the cathedral before you plan around it.

Article · 6 minFulton Sheen and the Crypt of Saint Patrick's CathedralRead

The oldest Catholic parish in New York State is Saint Peter's on Barclay Street, whose cornerstone was laid on October 5, 1785 and which opened on November 4, 1786. Old Saint Patrick's on Mulberry Street, dedicated in 1815, was the first cathedral. The first priest known on Manhattan was the Jesuit Isaac Jogues, who heard two confessions in 1643.

Article · 6 minWhere Catholic New York BeganRead

Saint Patrick's Cathedral has Mass six times on a weekday, including 12:00 and 1:00, and confession from 12:00 to 12:45 on weekdays. Saint Peter's has a weekday Mass at 12:30, Old Saint Patrick's one at 12:10 and Saint Vincent Ferrer three, at 8:00, 12:10 and 6:00. Saint Francis of Assisi on West 31st Street hears confessions on weekdays at 8:00, 11:00 and 4:30. Times checked on October 30, 2026 against the archdiocese's directory and parish sites.

Article · 7 minMass Times and Confession in ManhattanRead

There is no church on the site, but Saint Peter's on Barclay Street, a few hundred yards away, held the body of Father Mychal Judge, the fire department chaplain killed on September 11, 2001, before its altar, and holds a 9/11 Catholic Memorial. It has a Mass on weekdays at 12:30 and adoration from 1:00 to 2:00 (checked October 30, 2026).

Article · 6 minThe Catholic Side of Ground Zero and Saint Peter's ChurchRead

The shrine is on Fort Washington Avenue in Washington Heights and is open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 5:00 and weekends 9:00 to 5:00, closed Mondays. Major relics of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini lie in a glass reliquary beneath the altar; her head is in Rome. The 190th Street subway station has an elevator. Checked on October 30, 2026 against the shrine's page.

Article · 6 minVisiting the Cabrini Shrine in Washington HeightsRead

It is the church of Our Lady of the Rosary at 7 State Street, on the site of the house where Seton lived from 1801 to 1803. The Sisters of Life have been its custodians since April 2023 and the parish lists no hours, so it is usually seen from the outside. Seton was received into the Church at Saint Peter's on Barclay Street, about a 15 to 20 minute walk away, and is buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Article · 6 minSaint Elizabeth Ann Seton in New YorkRead

It is a museum, part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with medieval cloisters, the Unicorn Tapestries and the Merode Altarpiece, and not a place of worship. It is open 10:00 to 5:00 from Thursday to Tuesday and closed on Wednesdays; adults pay $30 and the ticket also covers the Met on Fifth Avenue that day. Checked on October 30, 2026 against the Met's page.

Article · 5 minThe Met Cloisters for a PilgrimRead

Midnight Mass on December 25 needs a ticket, which came from an online lottery with two tickets per application. The lottery for 2026 ran from June 15 to October 2 and has closed. The other Christmas Masses need no ticket but fill early. Checked on October 30, 2026 against the cathedral's FAQ and the archdiocese's news site; the 2027 lottery dates have not been published.

Article · 6 minChristmas in New York: Midnight Mass and the TreeRead

From JFK the AirTrain costs $8.75 plus $3 for the subway, $11.75 in all, and a yellow taxi is a flat $70. The Q70 bus from LaGuardia is free and connects to the subway; a taxi runs on the meter plus a $5 surcharge. From Newark, NJ Transit to Midtown costs $17.25 including the AirTrain and takes about 30 minutes on the train. Checked on October 30, 2026 against the MTA, the airports and the Taxi and Limousine Commission.

Article · 6 minGetting From JFK, LaGuardia and Newark to ManhattanRead

Tap a contactless card, phone or watch at the turnstile; the fare is $3. After 12 paid rides in a 7 day period on the same card or device, the rest are free, because the weekly cap is $35. A reloadable OMNY card costs $1 and a single ride ticket $3.50. The Staten Island Ferry is free and runs all day and night. Checked on October 30, 2026 against the MTA's OMNY page and the ferry's site.

Article · 6 minGetting Around New York by Subway, Bus and FerryRead

It is a very large city, and visitors use the same habits as in any big city: keep your phone and bag close in crowds, be wary of anyone who hands you a bracelet or a CD and then asks for money, and never pay for the Staten Island Ferry. The police department publishes its crime statistics online, and they are worth a look before you go.

Article · 5 minIs New York Safe for Visitors?Read

Three days is the right minimum for the main Catholic sites: Saint Patrick's and Midtown, the Financial District with Saint Peter's and Old Saint Patrick's, and Washington Heights with the Cabrini Shrine and the Cloisters. One day covers four or five churches and two or three days leave room for Brooklyn. Five days add day trips.

Article · 6 minHow Many Days Do You Need in New York?Read

The Leo House, a Catholic guesthouse at 332 West 23rd Street in Chelsea, welcomes travelers of all religions, has a 24 hour front desk and a chapel, and includes breakfast from Monday to Saturday. We read its own site on October 30, 2026 but could not confirm its rates or room availability, so book directly with the house.

Article · 4 minCatholic Places to Stay in New YorkRead

Catholic stays

The Leo House at 332 West 23rd Street in Chelsea calls itself a quiet Catholic guesthouse and welcomes travelers of all religions. It was founded for German Catholic immigrants in 1889. We read its own site, theleohouse.com, on October 30, 2026: a 24 hour front desk, an onsite chapel with Mass three times a week at 7:00 a.m., a garden, lounge and business center, free Wi-Fi and breakfast from Monday to Saturday between 7:00 and 10:00. Rooms range from singles to family suites, check in is at 4:00 p.m. and checkout by 11:00, and all adults need a physical government issued photo ID or passport. We could not confirm its room rates, so ask when you book, and book with the house directly.