St Patrick’s Old Cathedral

Walking towards Chinatown, we came across St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.
We decided to walk in and take some time to sit in silence. That is just what we needed after a long day. One other person was inside. I loved the silence and the ability to just enjoy some quiet time in reflection.

Favorite place to attend Mass… Love the amount of young people at this parish, the priests have such passion for spreading the word of God, and it is an absolutely beautiful church.

Free cathedral you walk around in if you’re a tourist. Beautiful with high ceilings. If you’re a cathedral junkie it’s worth taking a look.

Note to self**mind your cursing in a place of worship** now that that’s out of the way… or have impure thoughts about other people that are in church. Heathen.
However once I’ve calmed my mind. Sitting in the wooden pew and watching the rays of light accentuating the deep blues and bright yellows of the stained glass. I felt transported to a peaceful place. A place of deep appreciation for history and connectedness. This gothic-​revival architectural styled minor basilica was built in 1809 – 1815 and is a registered NYC historic landmark.
For movie buffs~ The baptism scene in The Godfather was filmed in the old Cathedral, as was the scene in The Godfather, Part III in which Michael Corleone receives an honour from the church. Also a scene in the Martin Scorsese film Mean Streets was set in the cathedral’s walled graveyard.
You don’t have to be catholic or a heathen to visit and appreciate Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Come in and rest your weary feet and souls.

On October 8, 2012, my husband and I celebrated our «50^th» wedding anniversary at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral and it was the most wonderful event in our entire lives. We were treated like «family» by everyone there, including the everyone attending mass on that day. Monsignor Ahern warmly welcomed us and our family at the church when we arrived. The Mass was beautiful, I will never forget how wonderfully Monsignor Ahern treated us. After the renewal vows, we all took pictures, even Rosa came and I loved meeting her and taking pictures with her and Msgr. Ahern and some of the parishoners. From the time I contacted Rosa, I felt like we had known everyone there. Monsignor Sakano made us very welcome even before we got to NYC. We live in Brandon, Florida and made the trip with our grown children, their spouses and our grandsons just to renew our vows. The experience could not have been more loving and beautiful. My only regret is that we were not married there 50 years ago and waited for our beautiful «50^th» to renew. We are very blessed and thankful to have had the opportunity to have done that in such a special place. The Cathedral is the most beautiful I have ever seen and the people are also. I wish we could live in NYC so that we could attend Mass there. We will continue to vacation in NYC and plan on going to Mass there every time we are in NYC. God bless all of them. I really rate it a lot more than 5 stars.
Betty Rocha, Brandon, FL

I want my wedding here — here’s why:
MASS: I wish their mass schedule was more convenient for working folks, as there are not many options (English) in the afternoons. However, the mass is always delivered in an interesting manner, and the priests are clearly in tune with their parishioners.
LOOKS: So the St Pat’s uptown is more massive and impressive, but Old SP has history and simplicity in its beauty. The exterior is without lavish ornamentation, but the inside is reminiscent of true cathedrals in the ceiling architecture and the woodwork. There is a sizable courtyard, cemetery, and a children’s center gymnasium used for community events.

HISTORY: Not only is the building impeccably beautiful and old-​world, it is one of the oldest establishments in New York City church-​wise, built around 1810.
TIP: Check the mass schedule online, as there are many events for parishioners, and certain masses are Spanish.

How can you not give a Church 5-​stars — maybe it’s just the Catholic guilt in me but if you go to Church, even if only once a year, you should give it 5-​stars :-)
That said… if St Patricks were any other establishment I would still give it 5-​stars because it’s GORGEOUS, the Mass is nice, plenty of seating, and it has a real community welcoming feel to it.
This is, in my opinion, the best place to come for Easter Mass. It’s so well done, it’s perfect!

Everyone visits St Patricks Cathedral… but that isn’t this St Patrick’s…
So do yourself a favor and visit the «original» St Patricks church.
It’s not as detailed as the new (er) St Patrick’s Cathedral
It’s not as massive as the new (er) St Patrick’s Cathedral
It’s not as impressive as the new (er) St Patrick’s Cathedral
But it does offer history and charm… rather than see the copy cat, come to see the «original» St Patrick’s Cathedral.
I wouldn’t call it a must see in NYC but if your in the area then you should check it out.

I WAS THERE IN may 2011 for the Aoh 175 anniv Massloved the church i was there once before there was a parade before ther mass and a major Block Party after the mass

Take some time to visit this gem that is the original St. Patricks, which then became the «downtown» St. Patricks, only to have practically disappeared into obscurity.
Most of the details throughout the church are in good repair, as is the organ (which they sometimes allow children to bang on unnecessarily). In front of the entrance there is a small replica of the church. Out back in the auditorium there is a weekend market of up & coming designers.
Side note:
Upon entering, my mother sneezed and not one parishioner said «bless you»; not cool!

This a beautiful church filled with history. The priest is both very knowledgeable and proud of the church’s history. He’ll tell you all about it if you ask. There are some crypts beneath the church as well which have a fascinating story.

Old Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, was very recently given the name of Basilica from Pope Benedict in recognition of its 200^th anniversary. It’s very hard to compare the Old Cathedral to that of the richly extravagant and over-​the-​top architecture of the «New» St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Especially since this church was built during a time when the Catholic faith in New York was relatively new and at a low count.
With regards to Sarah B’s comment about the hot summer and cold winter masses held within the church, you’re still correct. However, I will freeze and sweat every Sunday there, because it’s one of the few churches that I’ve been able to come out of after a sermon and say, «wow, I can relate to that, or that was said with such true meaning and expression, and without sounding like a robot reading from the book». I could go somewhere that shuts their doors during the winter season to retain heat, or I can be cold for one hour and get something out of it in the end. I like to think of it as their way of creating an «open door» policy for those to come in.
By the way, without getting far into it, the catacomb below the church is the resting place for local Saints and Bishops (including New York’s First); not meant for «New York’s older families» or the social elite.
Sunday Mass is held in English, Chinese and Spanish. I trek in from Brooklyn, because I enjoy Mass there so much, and am very particular. If you live in the area already then you should definitely start attending Mass at this local landmark. If you don’t live in the area, but are curious then you should make it a point to check it out.
Happy 200^th Anniversary Old St. Patrick’s!

I discovered Old St. Patrick’s about two years ago when I worked downtown. Prior to this, I was totally unaware that Old St. Patrick’s even existed.
As NYC’s original cathedral, this place is everything that its gorgeous uptown cousin is not. Yes, it’s big, but not anywhere near the massive size of new St. Patrick’s. And it’s not packed with tourists, mainly because most of them are probably oblivious that this place even exists.
The art and architecture in this place is old, and although I’m sure they make an effort to keep it spruced up, it does have a touch of wear-​and-​tear about it. But it spite of that, the altar is beautiful — lots of gilt everywhere — and the church itself radiates a very peaceful ambiance. I personally loved the statues of saints that line the walls, and the votive candles positioned at the foot of each one.
As a previous reviewer noted, this church is freezing. I only visited in the winter, but the space is not heated very well and you will have to keep your coat on when you visit. But it’s a visit that everyone should make, if only for comparison purposes with the St. Patrick’s we all know, because the differences — both architecturally and neighborhood-​wise — are vast. Old St. Patrick’s was definitely constructed for a certain set of people (immigrants) living in a distinct neighborhood in a very distinct era in New York’s history. And they’re still serving immigrants to the neighborhood, from what I understand. In addition to English, Masses are offered in Spanish and Chinese.
A great church all around, Old St. Patrick’s is a must-​visit for the history lover and the New Yorker in all of us.

I always think it’s funny when the patron saint of another country is in the wrong ethnic neighborhood. Since this is Little Italy I would think this church would be St. Anthony of Mafia or Our Lady of Fugitaboutit, but my ethnic stereotyping is making me digress.
I was an out of towner going to the 9:15 a.m. Sunday Mass. I entered from the Mott back entrance and noticed a really old cemetery (not many of those in Manhattan) out the window.
The cathedral is Gothic and really gorgeous.
I’m not sure if this is typical for this Mass, but there were very few people there (maybe 35?) and no singing. The priest was okay.
5 stars for the architecture. 3 stars for the Mass.

The original St. Pat’s, with a walled yard, school, CRYPT, and convent building. Lovely, local, historic flavor in a neighborhood that’s gentrifying like crazy

Built in 1809, New York’s first Roman Catholic cathedral stands as a comforting time warp while all around it in Nolita continues to change to stay hip with the times. The high walls surrounding it were constructed to keep out anti-​Catholic protestors. The inside is beautiful and hot as the dickens in the summer and cold as the dickens in the winter. Masses are held in English and Spanish.