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Within the magnificence of the famous New York church, a gathering of present-day migrants—primarily of Latino, Asian, and Black descent—pause on a hillside slope with their humble sacks and bags. An individual in a tee-shirt tenderly carries a child, and a youth in trainers appears thoughtful at the front. Overhead in the towering clouds, the Lamb of God stands on a white altar within the radiant glow of dangling golden lines evoking the presence of God.

This touching and grand tableau is a component of what is perhaps the most significant new piece of public art in today’s riven America.

“My hope is that viewers grasp from this artwork,” affirms the painter, “is that we’re all in this together. To utilize such a vast canvas for this statement stands as a remarkable opportunity.”

The cathedral, often called the nation’s parish church, serves about 2.5 million New York Archdiocese Catholics. It stands as a key cathedral in the United States and by far the most visible with 5 million visitors a year. This artwork represents the largest permanent piece ordered by the church in over a century.

A Vision of Unity

In the artist’s competition-winning vision, the artwork accomplishes a lasting goal to honor the famed vision depicting sacred beings such as Mary, Joseph, John, the Lamb, and heavenly messengers at a small Irish countryside chapel in 1879. The painter extends that homage to include Irish immigrants of yore and New York’s broader multicultural immigration.

The extensive western facade, adjacent to the primary entrance, features a quintet of historic local Catholic notables on one side and on the other, a quintet of modern-day uniformed first responders. Above each assembly floats a large angelic figure in a setting again of those gleaming stripes suggesting the divine.

Recognizing Diverse Contributions

Concerning the quintet of religious figures the institution highlighted founder John Hughes, Dorothy Day, the ex-bohemian New Yorker turned social activist, and Pierre Toussaint, the ex-slave who achieved success as a groomer and philanthropist. The painter included early saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the premier indigenous holy figure, and picked Al Smith, the popular New York politico of the 1920s and 1930s. The first responders were the artist’s idea too.

The mural’s painting style is straightforwardly representational—a deliberate selection. “Because this is an American painting, rather than European,” the artist explains. “Abroad, lengthy traditions of church art exist, they don’t need to do it that way any more. Yet locally, it’s essential.”

An Effort of Dedication

The massive project engaged approximately three dozen contributors, involving a specialist for the precious metal applications. The drafting phase lasted several months in a huge studio in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, and then most of a year for the intensive artwork—clambering up and down a scaffold to gauge things.

“Given my familial background in design,” he replies. “Therefore, I grasped spatial planning.”

Regarding the departing church leader, he stated at the piece’s introduction: “Some have asked me, are you trying to make a statement about immigration? Absolutely, indeed. Specifically, that newcomers are divine creations.”

“We’re all in this together,” the artist repeats. “Whether we like it or not,” he notes. Diverse political adherents appear in the piece. Plus various beliefs. “However, common human experience unites all,” he maintains. “It includes those beyond one’s circle.”