The Church of The Holy Cross

Holy Cross became a haven for me during Fr. Peter’s tenure; I couldn’t care less about its celebrity cache or even its place in history. It is verging on the impossible for a Catholic who really believes in Jesus, in true Catholicism, to find a Mass to celebrate without hearing hateful, violent, moronic nonsense spewed at them in the guise of a Homily, but you could at Holy Cross when Fr. Peter was there. After he left, I spent less and less time there, after enduring the horrendous, narcissistic, arrogant ravings of the clown who assumed command in his absence, although there were some Masses said by some priests that were good. But it was a crapshoot, and I often found myself having to walk out after seeing who the celebrant was. Thank God, he is gone now, the parish has merged with St. John the Baptist so the Archdiocese can spend more money on propaganda and hot stone massages, and is being lead by Capuchin Franciscans. I haven’t experienced Mass with all the priests there now, but there are two that are outstanding, who I won’t name, because I’m afraid they’ll be targeted for getting it right — yeah, it happens all the time. I post this because there are uncountable Catholics such as myself who are looking for a place to celebrate their faith without having to listen to idiocy and then hearing that idiocy attributed to Christ, who takes a worse beating from so-​called followers than He ever has from others.
If you’re looking for a place to be of service, you might want to try somewhere else. Those who run the food pantry are hostile to individual volunteers, and this past Christmas, the gift drive was supervised by an extremely rude and ill-​tempered man, and I’m not even sure my donations got to where they were supposed to go. If a volunteer and donor is treated badly, God only knows what the clients endure. I also suggest that a Catholic church should not ask anyone to leave, or close its doors against anyone who wants to enter, especially not so that sanctimonious volunteers can orchestrate liturgies and keep house. What is the church there for? And since Jesus was crucified, and Catholics have suffered close to as many hardships and horrors as many have caused in the last 2000 years, it is no stranger to terror, and this age doesn’t have an advantage over any other, except that we’re alive for it, so naturally, we think it’s the worst. Keeping people outside freezing in the street while the doors of God’s house remain locked is reprehensible-​yes, there are practical concerns, but there are other solutions other than locking the doors of God’s house — see above mention of propaganda and hot stone massages.

As a longtime member of this parish I want to celebrate how essential this faith community is to the diverse Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. It really is The Crown Jewel of Hell’s Kitchen, built in 1870, it is the oldest and only wood framed building on 42^nd St and former home of Father Duffy and Joyce Kilmer of «The Fighting 69^th» fame and glory.
A very poor perish, (but home to a few actual Louis Comfort Tiffany Studios stained glass windows donated in the late 19^th Century) HCRCC is run almost entirely by volunteer laity.
Since celebrity priest Fr. Peter Colapietro left the church in 2013, HC has been finding new footing and found new footing, it has.
The days of the film, «Fame» being filmed here and the days of seeing Actor Mickey Rourke getting his Ash Wednesday ashes here in a kilt, leather jacket and army boots and the days of the homeless using it for naps are over but a solid faith community has emerged in the 21^st Century.
In January of 2015 the Requiem Mass for church member and famed entertainer and restauranteur Jean-​Claude Baker was held here with the Holy Cross Choir, a visiting gospel choir under the direction of Chapman Roberts, featuring soloists Vivian Reed, and close Baker friend Jessye Norman.
Another Unilocaler «Jeff» complained about being «kicked out» of HC at 6:30 on Christmas without first considering anything or anyone else other than his own hurt feelings, resulting in a one star rating from «Jeff».
Being that the enormous church has a paid staff of approximately 4, volunteers have to make time to perform the myriad responsibilities involved in such a challenging daily undertaking as running a large church in the middle of Manhattan.
Holy Cross is a Catholic Church honed from the classic liberating, liberal teachings of Christ where we are no longer Romans, nor Greeks, nor Gentiles nor Jews, nor women, nor men… We are One Bread and One Body in Christ Jesus.
Dear Jeff, I don’t know what «persuasion» you are but it had NOTHING to do with your being asked to leave so the volunteers could clean up, lock up and prepare for the frenetic activities (choir rehearsals, party preparations, multiple masses, decorating, food preparations etc…) on the Christmas schedule which ends at around 2AM on Christmas Eve only to begin again at 7AM on Christmas Day not to mention the security factor in the new age of terror.
In the 1960s-​1980s, Holy Cross, like many churches used to remain unlocked ²⁴⁄₇ but had to close up between masses due to violent crime, theft, the homeless using HC as a rest room and desecration of The Holy Host.
A major character flaw of new-​age doxy is the obsession with self and hyper-​sensitivity to minor «offenses». The core teaching of all Christendom is the exact opposite, to learn and practice selflessness and tolerance.
Holy Cross is one of the most powerful and active food pantries in Manhattan. The Choir is all volunteer under the direction of the supremely gifted Charles Gaston Currin.
With a burgeoning Spanish family and the large number of «show biz folk» from nearby Manhattan Plaza, Holy Cross uniquely and organically reflects the best traditions of the communion of every day saints.

Ok… I never thought this was possible let alone on Christmas eve, a look into the church, a gorgeous church by the way, a sit in the pew, a quiet reflection moment AND WE GOT THROWN OUT!
Yes, they must have known I was a different persuasion but several others in for a prayer, a moment of pause on Christmas Eve and WE ALL GOT THROWN OUT. «The church is closing». On Christmas Eve at 6:15. Thank goodness the homeless guy outside asking for money didn’t come in from the cold!

Right across the street from Port Authority, very convenient location. Beautiful interior. Masses in English and Spanish.

This Roman Catholic church has an excellent and convenient location on 42^nd St. btw. 8^th and 9^th Ave… right across the street from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. This church just completed a major renovation a year or two ago and the attention to detail is prevalent. If your staying at a nearby hotel or have an extended lay-​over for your next Bus, this is the perfect location to give thanks to the one from above.
Mass Times:
Sat — 4:30 pm
Sun — 8:30 am, 10:00 am (Spanish) and 11:30 am (Choir)
Visit their website for more info:

I’ve been going to this church since I moved to my Hell’s Kitchen apartment and I think it’s a great Catholic church.
Although it’s right on 42^nd, once you walk inside the church, it’s fairly quiet. They have been doing renovations for a while so you can’t go into the main church right now. Instead they have their masses downstairs in the rec center area. Construction is supposed to end sometime this July ’10.
In regards to the mass itself, I think Fr. Peter (head Fr of the church, does the 11:30 am mass) has a great presence in the community and shows that through his homily. He is upbeat and keeps the audience engaged. He also takes the time to meet visitors after church is let out.
I enjoy going here and will miss it if I move again!