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Amidst the magnificence of this historic cathedral, a crowd of present-day migrants—primarily of Latino, Asian, and Black descent—gather on an incline holding their simple possessions. A man in a T-shirt cradles an infant, as a young person in athletic shoes sits solemnly up front. High up among the billowing clouds, the Lamb of God stands on a white altar surrounded by shimmering gold hanging bands suggesting the divine essence.

This humane and magnificent scene constitutes a segment of a standout new artistic installation across a fragmented modern America.

“My hope is that viewers grasp from this artwork,” declares the artist, “is that everyone belongs in this collective journey. And to have this enormous platform to say something like that stands as a remarkable opportunity.”

The cathedral, often called the nation’s parish church, ministers to around 2.5 million area worshippers. It ranks among the top two cathedrals nationally and attracts the most attention with millions of annual guests. This creation is the most substantial fixed work commissioned by the cathedral in its 146-year history.

A Vision of Solidarity

In the artist’s competition-winning vision, the painting fulfills an enduring desire to commemorate the celebrated apparition depicting sacred beings such as Mary, Joseph, John, the Lamb, and heavenly messengers at a small Irish countryside chapel in 1879. The artist expands that commemoration to encompass earlier Irish newcomers along with the city’s diverse migrant history.

The sizable wall on the west side, flanking the cathedral’s main doors, features a quintet of historic local Catholic notables on one side and on the other, a quintet of modern-day uniformed first responders. Each cluster is overseen by a grand heavenly being in a setting again of those gleaming stripes hinting at spirituality.

Celebrating Diverse Contributions

Regarding the five Catholic icons the church selected immigrant archbishop John Hughes, Dorothy Day, the onetime nonconformist turned campaigner, and Pierre Toussaint, the former enslaved Haitian who became a New York society hairdresser and major Catholic benefactor. The artist added New York state’s 17th-century Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American canonized, and selected public servant Al Smith from the interwar period. The frontline personnel were similarly the painter’s inclusion.

The piece’s technique is distinctly figurative—a deliberate selection. “Because this is an American painting, as opposed to overseas,” the painter states. “Abroad, lengthy traditions of church art exist, they don’t need to do it that way any more. However, here we must.”

A Labor of Love

The huge undertaking required around thirty individuals, including an eminent fine-art gilder for the upper-mural stripes of gold leaf, platinum and heated titanium. The drafting phase lasted several months at a large workspace in an industrial area, then nine months for the arduous painting—clambering up and down a scaffold to gauge things.

“Well, my father was an architect,” he responds. “So I understood how to plan for the space.”

Concerning the stepping-down archbishop, he announced during the artwork’s unveiling: “Some have asked me, are you trying to make a statement about immigration? Certainly, without doubt. Namely, that immigrants are children of God.”

“All are part of this collective,” the creator reiterates. “Whether we like it or not,” he continues. There are supporters of various politicians among the models. Plus various beliefs. “However, common human experience unites all,” he maintains. “It extends beyond personal compatibility.”