
It was reported that an exhibition (“Twilight of the Idols”) that had been scheduled for the Sheen Center had been cancelled at the last minute and relocated to Saint Francis Xavier parish. The artist in question, Fr. Nick Leeper SJ, is a member of the Jesuit community there and a teacher at Xavier high school next door. I accordingly set off an early June to take a look at what was going on. You could imagine my disappointment when I found the exhibition had closed at the end of May after a run of only a few weeks. But my visit gave me the opportunity to reacquaint myself with this parish.
As to the exhibition, I provide some links to enable the reader to assess this art for himself.
Barone, Camillo, “Controversial art show canceled at NY archdiocese venue finds home at Jesuit parish,” National Catholic Reporter (5/20/2026)
Leeper, Nicholas Kerestan, “Twilight of the Idols,” www.nkleeperssj.com (05/2026)
I cannot say I find this show impressive– a tired imitation of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. In the best case, it’s like a National Lampoon satire of the 1970s. And, speaking ecumenically, I wonder what the Orthodox or the Copts think of such a direct parody of their traditions (Roman Catholics have long since lost any such sensibilities). By the way, a perceptive observer wondered whether the Sheen Center cancelled the exhibition not because of any offense it might have given to the pious, but rather for the clearly perceptible misogyny of many of the show’s images.
Yet, I thought to myself, could there indeed be – cached subconsciously perhaps – an angle of liturgical and cultural self-criticism present here that a traditionalist can sense ? Fr. Leeper’s pictures seem to equate Catholic religious art with secular advertising. Now, already in 1981, Alfred Lorenzer associated the introduction of the Novus Ordo and the associated “massacre” (Cristina Campo)of Catholic symbols with our age’s all-encompassing dominance of the images of the advertising industry. And another commentator – whose name escapes me – compared the Novus Ordo itself with a television show, with the priest as moderator. Perhaps “Twilight of the Idols” was too self-revealing for the Church today!

St. Francis Xavier parish otherwise is relatively unchanged from some six years ago. Only the political and “woke” aspects, already present everywhere then, have become ever more dominant and pervasive. All is politics, race, LGBT, feminism, migrants, yoga, Zen, etc. Perhaps the only discordant element is this parish’s attempt to throw fragments of traditional art into the “mix”: the architecture and paintings of the church (except for the sanctuary), the covers of the bulletins…. It’s a change from the aggressive iconoclasm of the 1960’s and 70’s.

As always seems to be the case, the church is empty except for one or two individuals. The only sound heard in the vast space is the tinkling of a fountain emptying into the baptismal pool set before the former high altar. The parish website shows us that the parish yoga group spreads their mats out here in the “sanctuary.”

(Above) In the narthex hang tapestries commemorating advocates of economic, racial and sexual politics.

(Above and below)A set of paintings has been distributed around the church embodying a program that appears to be unique in Catholicism: figures of the Catholic faith selected on racial grounds (they are not white). Well, you could argue about the inclusion of Oscar Romero or Rose of Lima – but as “Hispanics” they qualify as “people of color.”


(above)The side altar/memorial to the victims of AIDS seems to have been expanded with elements taken from the closed church of St. Veronica where the original AIDS memorial was located.
As always, the bulletin of St. Francis Xavier parish is memorable – here are some recent selections:
Bulletin of 6/21/2026:
Intercessions:
For all who live in our country: that the anniversary of Juneteenth on June 19 that we observed at our 11:30am Sunday mass will help us honor the proclamation of the full emancipation of 1865 of enslaved people in our country, we pray…
For all who live in our country: that the 105th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Riots will help us remember that we have not eliminated racism in our culture and society, we pray…
Bulletin of 6/07/2026:
Happy Pride Month! …. will start the meeting for queer womyn with a presentation covering a combination of the history of drag in New York City and some gender performance theory. This presentation will culminate in practical application and exploration—the first ever Catholic Lesbians Drag Night, featuring performances from your lesbians truly! Regardless of whether you are performing, you are invited to play around with your gender expression and attend dressed with that in mind. We also will participate in Dyke March as a ministry and NYC Pride March as a parish.
Pride March
Sunday June 28 – Church of St. Francis Xavier will continue our tradition of partaking in the Pride March. We will begin with a blessing of our Marchers at our 11:30 AM Mass. A gathering to view the Pride March is in the works. More details to come. If you would liketo join us for viewing or (to) march…..
Juneteenth Liturgy
Sunday, June 14 | 11:30AM Mass
The eleventh Sunday of Ordinary time will see our parish honoring Juneteenth. The service will feature liturgical dance, a special music program, and a reflection by parishioner, ……, Organized by Racial Justice Group
Some religious aspects do remain:
A few years ago, as part of the Eucharistic Revival called by Pope Francis, we organized presentations from leading experts on various aspects of the Eucharist. At core, we believe that Jesus is present in the bread and wine consecrated through the prayer of the community lead (sic) by a priest at the mass. (Bulletin 6/7/2026)
I also see that there is still loyalty being shown to a certain former Jesuit artist who achieved notoriety in recent years: Bulletin 1/4/2026
The influence of the culture of St. Francis Xavier parish is not at all confined to its parish boundaries or to the Chelsea neighborhood. It sits next to Xavier high school (for males) also administered by the Jesuit order. It has connections with the theology department of Fordham University. And, for Pride month, it publishes a newsletter in collaboration with like-minded institutions:
This newsletter is the result of a collaborative effort bringing together LGBTQ+ ministries and leaders from Catholic parishes seeking to build relationships, strengthen communication, and share ideas and opportunities for community across parish lines. Participating parishes currently include Church of St. Francis Xavier, Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, Saint Paul the Apostle Church, and The Church of the Ascension.
(For some reason St. Francis of Assisi, NYC, didn’t make the cut-SC)
Traditionalist readers of this blog should further consider that all these parish activities are more aligned with the Roman Catholic hierarchy than are their own. All is open and on the record. The bulletins and other publications of St. Francis Xavier parish are often signed and, as far as I can see, not subject to any ecclesiastical censorship. Whereas traditional masses often cannot be disclosed in parish bulletins, when they are permitted at all. Just in the last couple of weeks, I have looked at several books and articles advocating aspects of traditional culture that are anonymous or pseudonymous. Yes, the art exhibition scheduled for the Sheen Center was cancelled by the Archdiocese at the last minute – but then it was relocated to St. Francis Xavier, which is a parish in good standing with the Archdiocese of New York. Like his predecessor, Archbishop Hicks must be fully aware of what is going on (as are the papal nuncio and the Vatican) but does nothing.

PS: Perhaps I should summarize my impressions of this parish. There are few churches where the triumph of Catholic progressivism – and therefore of the liberal civil society it represents – is as complete as in this parish. Uniquely, at St. Francis Xavier, the dominance of the progressive agenda in all its aspects also assumes visual form: not just in a gutted sanctuary, but in shrines, banners, tapestries, and paintings. At St. Francis Xavier, though, this culture of Catholic progressivism still coexists with elements of the past which have been retained and even restored: elaborate neo-baroque stucco decoration, Tiffany stained-glass windows, and large-scale pictorial cycles of the stations of the Cross and of Jesuit history. Thus, the clash between the culture of Vatican II, taken to its extreme, and the past of the Catholic Church and of the Jesuit order is nowhere else in New York as clear as here.
PS #2. I had mentioned the neighboring high school, Xavier. What has been the interaction of the high school with the parish? Looking at the school’s publicity, we see very nice pictures of boys and men in ties, jackets or sweaters, athletes and military cadets – all just like in the good old days! Yet, if we consult the online presence of the school, we see influences at work similar to those governing the parish – if not as exclusively and aggressively:
Xavier Magazine: Winter 2026 Edition
Examples taken from the above publication:
-Criticism of the immigration policies of the Trump administration (by the school’s president) pp. 2-3
– The art of Fr. Nicholas Leeper SJ (including one particularly controversial image from his recent exhibition) is prominently featured and commended. (p.6 and elsewhere in this issue)
-James Martin SJ addressed students.(p. 6)
-Students participated in a Catholic social justice conference in Washington, and spoke on “lessons from the Holocaust, fighting anti-Semitism” based on their experiences in Xavier’s Holocaust Studies program. (p.6). Students in the Holocaust Studies program had previously traveled to Poland. (p. 7)
-Xavier’s Gay-Straight Alliance sponsored a successful “Ally Week.” Former US Representative Mondaire Jones, at a “fireside chat” moderated by the president of Xavier, “spoke about his time in Congress, the intersectionality of being Black and gay, and the role politics plays in that experience.” (p.7)
-On the school’s list of prominent initiatives over the last 25 years are the founding of the Gay-Straight Alliance in 2014 (of course, favorably mentioned by the New York Times) and of the Holocaust Studies Program in 2023. The same list does take note of the fact that the leadership (and most of the faculty) of Xavier has transitioned to the laity. (article starting on pp. 22-23)
In conclusion, I would find it hard to distinguish Xavier from your average expensive private secondary school, whether religious or not.
















































































