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Amidst the magnificence of this historic cathedral, a throng of today’s immigrants—primarily of Latino, Asian, and Black descent—pause on a hillside slope with their humble sacks and bags. A man in a T-shirt cradles an infant, as a young person in athletic shoes sits solemnly up front. Overhead in the towering clouds, the Lamb of God stands on a white altar surrounded by shimmering gold hanging bands evoking the presence of God.

This humane and magnificent scene constitutes a segment of what is perhaps the most significant new piece of public art in today’s riven America.

“What I want people to realize from the mural,” affirms the painter, “is that we’re all in this together. To utilize such a vast canvas for this statement represents an incredible honor.”

This house of worship, referred to as the people’s church, serves about 2.5 million New York Archdiocese Catholics. It ranks among the top two cathedrals nationally and sees the highest foot traffic with five million tourists each year. This creation is the most substantial fixed work ordered by the church in over a century.

An Inspiration of Togetherness

Via the prize-winning idea, the artwork accomplishes a lasting goal to mark the renowned sighting depicting sacred beings such as Mary, Joseph, John, the Lamb, and heavenly messengers at a little rural church in Knock, Ireland, in 1879. The creator broadens that tribute to include Irish immigrants of yore and New York’s broader multicultural immigration.

The sizable wall on the west side, adjacent to the primary entrance, features a quintet of historic local Catholic notables alongside five present-day frontline workers. Over each grouping hovers a monumental angel against a backdrop of shining bands evoking God’s presence.

Celebrating Diverse Achievements

Concerning the quintet of religious figures the church selected immigrant archbishop John Hughes, Dorothy Day, the ex-bohemian New Yorker turned social activist, and Pierre Toussaint, the former enslaved Haitian who became a New York society hairdresser and major Catholic benefactor. The creator incorporated indigenous saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American canonized, 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. “Given that this is a domestic piece, not a European one,” the painter states. “Overseas, there are centuries of religious artistry, they don’t need to do it that way any more. Yet locally, it’s essential.”

An Effort of Love

The huge undertaking required around thirty individuals, featuring a skilled artisan for the metallic elements. Planning required half a year in a huge studio in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, then nine months for the arduous painting—clambering up and down a scaffold to gauge things.

“Well, my father was an architect,” he replies. “Therefore, I grasped spatial planning.”

Regarding the departing church leader, he declared at the mural’s presentation: “Some have asked me, are you trying to make a statement about immigration? Well, sure we are, all right? Specifically, that newcomers are divine creations.”

“Everyone shares this experience,” the artist repeats. “Despite personal feelings,” he adds. Diverse political adherents appear in the piece. Plus various beliefs. “But shared humanity means shared humanity,” he affirms. “It extends beyond personal compatibility.”