A 25-foot mural at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan, unveiled last week and blessed during Sunday mass on September 21, honors generations of immigrants to New York, taking on a new meaning in today’s political climate.
“Some have asked me, are you trying to make a statement about immigration?” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, during a press conference on Thursday. “Well, sure we are.”
The mural, What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding, was two years in the making and spans the three-wall entrance of the 146-year-old cathedral. Created by Brooklyn-based painter Adam Cvijanovic, it features life-sized, realistic portraits of Irish immigrants fleeing famine in the 19th century, alongside contemporary Latino, Asian, and Black immigrants, shown with backpacks and determined expressions. Mother Frances Cabrini, the first US citizen to be canonized and the patron saint of immigrants, is depicted among them.
