Divine New York: Inside the Historic Churches and Synagogues of Manhattan

Photographs by Michael J. Horowitz; Text by Elizabeth Anne Hartman

Abbeville Press Publishers (New York and London 2022)

304 pages

In 2022 Abbeville Press published Divine New York, a small-scale coffee table book about the churches and synagogues of Manhattan. Similar books have been published in the past, but I think this is the first with recent, professional photographs. One aspect of Divine New York was of special interest to me:  this book includes descriptions and photographs of the interiors of 28 Roman Catholic churches. I believe this is the first time such a photographic survey of multiple churches has appeared in print.  I will confine my comments to the Roman Catholic churches, all of which I have investigated over the years; I am familiar with many of the other churches (and one synagogue) as well but only as a casual visitor.

The book is most remarkable in that it makes the point visually that the interiors of these houses of worship in Manhattan are worthy of study and of preservation. Now certainly for the Roman Catholic churches this is a major step forward. Because the current thinking of the archdiocese of New York   – and of the post-conciliar Church as a whole  – sees these houses of worship as having simply the character of a shed or barn in which relious service are provided. When the congregation disappears or a financial need otherwise arises a church building can be abandoned or disposed of. This is very similar to the traditional Protestant (and Jewish) attitudes; it certainly is not the historic Catholic understanding. 

A second noteworthy feature of this book is that several of the Roman Catholic churches it describes have since been closed or demolished. I believe Divine New York is the first book to attempt to deal with the massive  destruction and abandonment of Manhattan Catholic churches in the last 25 years. Thus, it is a historic record of what has been lost in the very recent past. Now both the foreword and the main text do express regret at these losses. I would have thought, however,  that a book seeking to make the case for the value of the Manhattan houses of worship,  would have taken a stronger stand on the subject.

The photography is the main attraction of Divine New York. Most pictures are of outstanding quality. For example, I was happy to see excellent photographs of St. Elizabeth of Hungary,   As the author of the text states and the work of the photographer demonstrates, this church,  although small, was one of the finest Catholic houses of worship on the island of Manhattan.  The photographer, Michael L. Horowitz, tells us about the impressive equipment he used to achieve these results; I would like to discuss with him how he was able to obtain the consent of the (Catholic) parishes to take the time needed to carefully set up these shots. And these pictures are often taken from the choir loft, balconies and, in at least one case,  from the sanctuary itself. 

I do have a couple of mildly critical observations regarding the photography. First,  each entry includes a smaller thumbnail picture of the exterior of the church for orientation purposes. These images seem to be taken in large part from third party sources and are often of indifferent quality. Second, certain of the images (like those of the Basilica of Old St. Patrick’s cathedral, p. 57; St. Paul the Apostle,  pp. 165-66; “Our Lady of the Scapular,” p.187 ) have a dazzling, brilliant, even garish appearance that you would not see under normal lighting conditions (either artificial or natural). I wonder if this is attributable to the need to use additional studio-style illumination or otherwise compensate for low-light conditions. I do undertand, given the complexities of lighting, how difficult it can be to obtain satisfactory images of interiors.

Elizabeth Anne Hartman’s text is intended to support the photographs. She provides a general review of the history of  each church, including some interesting facts about events and individuals associated with it. Sometimes (but not always) she writes about the images that you see in this in this book. 

I have questions about the weighting of some of these facts and certain of the author’s aesthetic judgments as well.  To take one example, it is certainly interesting that the priest who served as the model for Marlon Brando’s character in On the Waterfront was a member of the Jesuit community at St. Francis Xavier church. To make this the interpretative key for the description of that parish is not very accurate. Then, the author, discussing the interior of St. Francis Xavier, remarks favorably on a “highlight”: a baptismal pool and fountain integrated into the reredos in the middle of the apse.  But someone versed in art should have noticed that this unique arrangement is utterly non-traditional and contradicts the entire sense and direction of the rest of the church – centered as it is on the altar. (p. 83)

I was also surprised at the attitude the author adopts in regard to the church closings described in this book. She certainly bemoans these losses, but seems rather gullible regarding the necessity for these actions. She uncritically restates the facts and reasoning assserted by the archdiocese for parish closings and consolidations – which she calls euphemistically a “reorganization”  – and does not mention at all the contrary views of parishioners and neighborhood residents.

These are questions of judgment. There are regrettably also more than a few factual errors throughout this book. Some admittedly involve arcane topics.   For example, the author writes that after Pope Pius X’s edicts in 1903 “it wasn’t until 1968 when a woman sang in (St. Patrick’s) cathedral again.” (p. 147) But in fact, what happened around 1968 was that women rejoined St. Patrick’s choir. Prior to that, women had sung in St. Patrick’s in other capacities, for example,  when a noted Brooklyn choir performed in an oratorio there in 1932. Then, the author describes the baptistry of St. Paul the Apostle, illustrated in the book, as a work of John Lafarge. (p. 167). The actual designer was the firm of Heins & Lafarge (Christopher Grant LaFarge, a partner in the firm, was the eldest son of John Lafarge).  Moreover, the baptistry shown in this book is not the original.  After Vatican II, that baptistry was broken apart and the components later reassembled into the “post-conciliar” concoction seen in the photograph.

Other errors are less understandable. The church of the Holy Innocents, to the best of my knowledge,  has never been known as the “actor’s church,” that sobriquet  (the “actors’ chapel”)has always been reserved in New York for St. Malachy’s on West 49^th Street. (p. 102) There is no  “tombstone” of Elizabeth Ann Seton in old St Patrick’s cathedral basilica (she is buried in Maryland) (p. 60). The large mosaic in the apse of St. Francis of Assisi was installed in 1925, and not “commissioned after World War II.”  (p. 98 ) I don’t recall that any works of Brumidi were moved from the closed church of St.  Stephen of Hungary to Our Saviour‘s church; the works of Brumidi on display there now are the stations of the cross taken from St.  Stephen’s church (p. 254).  Worst of all, the description of St Stephen’s,  once one of the grandest and most historic Catholic churches on the island of Manhattan, is completely mixed up. The book has photos of St Stephen’s church, yet the title and text of this entry describe the church of Our Lady of the Scapular and is history. Now the Carmelite parish of Our Lady of the Scapular was merged into St. Stephen’s parish between 1988 and 1991. The old church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel sold in 1995  and subsequently demolished.  The combined parish was called, at least officially, Our Lady of  the Scapular – St. Stephen’s. The Carmelites administered the parish until 2007. St.  Stephen’s parish then reverted to direct archdiocesan management and was in turn closed in 2015. Neither church was closed in 2007, as is stated in this book.

In conclusion, Divine New York includes fine photogrphs of some of the most beautiful interiors of Catholic churches on the island of Manhattan.(sticking to my “sectarian” focus!) Several of these descriptions are now of historical interest because the churches in question have since been destroyed.  I do advise a degree of caution on using this book as a source for the history and art of the churches it covers.  But it is acceptable if the reader treats the text as a very general introduction to enable him to understand the situation in history and in the city of each church covered. 

Regina Pacis Academy’s opening Mass of the academic year will be in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8 at 9:00 am. at St. Mary’s Church, Norwalk, CT. Everyone is welcome to attend.

St. Patrick’s Oratory in Waterbury, CT will offer a Requiem Mass for the souls who died on 9/11/2001.

Friday – Sunday September 25-27

The pilgrimage, now in its 31st year, is a journey of the faithful to Our Lady’s Shrine of the Martyrs in upstate New York, at Auriesville. Here, Jesuit Father Isaac Jogues and Companions were martyred, beginning with lay-brother René Goupîl  in 1642, and later layman John de LaLande and Jogues himself in 1646.

Since 1996, pilgrims walk near and along the paths the saints followed as captives of the Iroquois. Their journey was hundreds of miles over 28 days under torture. Our journey, modeled on the ancient annual Pentecost pilgrimages to Notre-Dame de Chartres, France, is 61 miles over 3 days and, though penitential, is full of joy. Our purpose is to honor Christ Our King publicly, to pray for the restoration of His Reign in the family and civil society, and to make reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

For more information and to register: link

The annual Three Hearts Pilgrimage guides thousands of participants through a rigorous terrain for 35 miles over 2 days to their destination – the Benedictine monastery Clear Creek Abbey. The 2023 sacrificial walk of reparation had over 2000 pilgrims from 43 states walk a 2-day journey that culminated in a Pontifical High Mass offered by His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke at this abbey, which serves as a reminder of how the Benedictine Order with its Rule and way of life spread Christianity throughout Medieval Western Europe, changing the trajectory of civilization.

for more information and to register: https://www.threeheartspilgrimage.org

A rally on Monday, August 31, on East 3rd Street to protest the continued closing of Most Holy Redeemer church, to demand its reopening and to support its designation as a landmark. The crowd was addressed by local politicians and activists, both Catholic and non-Catholic. Those who showed up seemed to be overwhelmingly from the immediate neighborhood of the church. There were familiar faces – I was greeted warmly by members of this parish who I had not seen in years. It is tragic that this “marginalized” and definitely not well-off community has been deprived of their parish church by the Archdiocese without any explanation. For some of them, this is the second or third parish they have lost.(For just one example, in this very vicinity Nativity parish was an earlier casualty, folded into Most Holy Redeemer). As is usual in such events, both in New York and elsewhere, Catholic clergy were conspicuous by their absence.

(Above) Some mixed messages visible in front of the old parish office.

In December 2023, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cardinal Dolan came to bless the restored, illuminated clock tower and bells of Most Holy Redeemer church.

“When they see their beloved parish, my God, it goes back to 1851, it’s still alive and still confident,” Dolan said.  “When we illuminate the clock and repair the tower and ring out the bells with Christmas coming up, this is the place to be.” Rodriguez, Ashley, Most Holy Redeemer Church bell tower shines anew, lighting Up Alphabet City after decades of darkness, fox5ny.com (12/24/2023)

For the repair of the tower, clock and bells symbolized the restoration of the parish and attracted favorable attention in the secular media. But perhaps in retrospect this episcopal visit was not for the best. For in short order, in 2024 the pastor was tranferred out to “bigger and better things”and in 2025 the parish was closed. See: “Bohemians, the Traditional Mass and Most Holy Redeeemer Church,” The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (8/29/2024)

Some pictures of Most Holy Redeemer Church on East 3rd Street, New York, taken over the course of two decades. Since August of last year, the Archdiocese has locked this magnificent church. As of today its fate is unknown.

(Above and below): The chapel of relics with the “entire body” of St. Datian.

(Above) The New York shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

(Above) The tower of the church of St. John the Baptist.

Thanks to an attentive reader, we recently learned that the Capuchin order had left Midtown Manhattan, effective June 30, 2026,  after 174 years. Their original mission at St. John the Baptist church had been expanded in 2013/15 to take over Holy Cross church on 42^nd St. Like many aspects of Making all Things New this merger didn’t make obvious sense: there are two other parishes located in between the parish’s two “worship spaces.”  As could be foreseen,  the experiment did not last long.

On its website the order has posted  a not very encouraging  statement from the “Provincial Minister” explaining the reasoning for the Capuchins’ departure:

There are many factors that went into our decision to withdraw from your parish, none of which might adequately satisfy your disappointment. One of the most evident challenges we face as a Church is the shortage of priestly and religious vocations, especially in northeastern part of the United States. This challenge has given us opportunities as Capuchins to reflect upon and renew our way of life that will inspire young men to live the Gospel in the spirit of St. Francis as a Capuchin. However, it has also demanded that we make difficult choices in the ministerial commitments we have as a Province.

Farewells are never easy, especially when the reasons don’t seem fair. We have left several parish communities over the last decades, and none have made this any easier, not only for the parishioners, but also for the friars who served so diligently those communities.

…

 Despite this challenge, I hope you will hear my sending-forth encouragement for you all: please don’t let our departure diminish your faith in Jesus Christ.

The Provincial Minister could not attend the “Farewell Mass” (the “Mass of Thanksgiving for the Capuchin Franciscans”)at St. John the Baptist. 1)

Regarding the move:

On June 30, 2026, a history came to an end. A history which began on June 28, 1840, when Rev. Zacharaia Kunz, OSF celebrated the first Mass at the Roman Catholic Church of St. John. A history which entrusted the church to the ministry of the Capuchin Province of Hungary in 1852 and subsequently  in 1870 to the American Capuchin Order. A history which survived two fires, too many wars, economic upheavals, financial instability .

Parishioners at St. John’s were privileged to have been brought into the Franciscan family of noted saints and ordinary friars. Over the years they have worshipped and interacted with some of the most extraordinary friars of the province , each  in his own unique way, touching  both parishioners and the many commuters who seek solace at St. John’s. The parish record books, some written in German script, bear testimony to all those connected to this special church. 2)

The parish is now under direct Archdiocesan administration. One immediate consequence of the change in management has been a reduction in the number of masses at Holy Cross church:

Please note that beginning September 7, there will no longer be a 12:15pm Mass on Mondays, and no Masses on Tuesdays at Holy Cross. 3)

(Above) Holy Cross church (2011).

We do not know whether the exit of the Capuchins is a prelude to the closing and sale of one or both churches. Consider the effects of the abandonment in 2019 of Most Holy Redeemer church (East 3^rd Street) by the Redemptorists. And despite its architectural merit- and the presence of the shrine to Padre Pio –  the church of St John the Baptist has been rumored for years now to be a likely candidate for closing.  It is a tregedy – for generations churches like St. John’s which had long ago lost their resident populations sustained themselves by the many commuters who stopped by for devotions or the sacraments. But the need Catholics once felt for these “commuter churches” in the city has dimished as the general practice of the faith has declined.

(Above) St. Mary’s, Grand St. (Photo 2009).

The Capuchins, however, retain a foothold in the city at their parish of Our Lady of Sorrows on Stanton St. on the Lower East Side. Indeed,  in 2024 they even expanded their presence by assuming responsibility for the nearby historic –  by New York standards – parish of Saint Mary on Grand St.  How secure Is, however, the continued existence of these two poor churches – given the dire financial situation of the Archdiocese – and the declining numbers of Capuchins? Neighborhood activists have tried to assure preservation of the more ancient of the two churches by obtaining on 4/7/2026 the landmarking of St. Mary’s by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission – a struggle now in progress for Most Holy Redeemer church.

For our most recent post on St. John the Baptist church, see:   https://sthughofcluny.org/2025/09/the-fate-of-the-churches-around-penn-station-ii.html The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (9/26/2025); for St. Mary’s see:  “The Churches of New York XXIV: In the Beginning,” The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny(4/26/2012)

1. “Capuchins conclude 174 years in Midtown,” capuchins-ofm.solutionsoftware.com (6/2026 with statement of Provincial Minister Br. James Peterson and photo gallery of Farewell Mass)
2. Brandes, Barbara, “A Church says Goodbye,” christinthecity.nyc ( 2026 – parish website)
3.  “Holy Cross- St. John the Baptist, christinthecity.nyc  (2026 – parish website)
4. “Our Lady of Sorrows brings St. Mary’s Church into the Fold,” capuchins-ofm.solutionsoftware.com  (2024)
5. Livak, Ed, “Landmarks Preservation Commission Designates Church of Saint Mary as an Individual Landmark,” thelowdownny.com ( 4/7/2026)

(All accessed 8/27/2026)