About Saint Patrick's Cathedral · New York, New York
St. Patrick's Cathedral is the seat (Mother Church) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and a working parish church located on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in Midtown Manhattan, directly across from Rockefeller Center. Designed in 1858 by James Renwick Jr. and dedicated on May 25, 1879, it is the largest Decorated Neo-Gothic Catholic cathedral in North America, clad in Tuckahoe marble and topped by twin 330-foot spires. It welcomes more than five million visitors of every faith each year, draws pilgrims for its seven-daily and seven-Sunday Mass schedule (including a Spanish Mass at 4:00 PM Sunday), and is both a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark.
- Established
- 1879
- Patron
- Saint Patrick
- Rector
- Very Reverend Enrique F. Salvo (Rector)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of New York
Why belong here
St. Patrick's is, by its own description, "America's Parish" — a working parish church as well as the architectural and spiritual flagship of the Archdiocese of New York, where daily and Sunday Masses are celebrated in both English and Spanish, the sacrament of Reconciliation is offered six days a week, and Eucharistic Adoration is live-streamed weekday lunchtimes. Beyond the monumental liturgy, the cathedral runs a full slate of Evangelization and Service ministries under its Director Colin Nykaza, an Office of Music that produces the renowned Sunday Solemn Mass and organ recital series, and Sacramental programs for weddings and baptisms that welcome parishioners from across the Archdiocese. For visitors who simply want to pray in silence or tour one of America's most-visited sacred landmarks, it offers daily hours from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Mass times at Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday: After 8:00 AM Mass and 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
- Tuesday: After 8:00 AM Mass and 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
- Wednesday: After 8:00 AM Mass and 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
- Thursday: After 8:00 AM Mass and 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
- Friday: After 8:00 AM Mass and 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
- Saturday: 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM and 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
- Sunday: No confessions heard
Adoration times
- Monday–Friday 12:35 PM – 1:35 PM (Eucharistic Adoration, live-streamed)
History & Heritage
St. Patrick's Cathedral was commissioned in 1858 by Archbishop John Hughes to replace the cramped Old Cathedral on Mulberry Street and to assert the place of Catholic New Yorkers on the city's most prestigious avenue. Designed by James Renwick Jr. after research trips to Europe, it was built over two decades (delayed by the Civil War), dedicated in 1879, and consecrated in 1910 once the final $800,000 of debt was retired. The History & Heritage page on the cathedral's website walks through this story and offers a detailed historical timeline. A century later, centuries of soot and pollution took their toll on the marble, and between 2012 and 2015 a $177 million restoration returned the exterior and interior — including the bronze doors, stained-glass windows, ceiling and floors — to their original grandeur. The work was completed just in time for Pope Francis's September 2015 visit.
- 1858 groundbreaking
- 1879 dedication
- 1888 spires added
- 1906 Lady Chapel
- 1910 consecration
- 2012–15 $177M restoration
- 2015 papal visit
- 2017 geothermal system
Archdiocese of New York & Rector
St. Patrick's is the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of New York, headed since the spring of 2026 by Archbishop Ronald Hicks. The day-to-day pastor of the cathedral is the rector, Very Rev. Enrique F. Salvo — a Nicaraguan-born priest of the archdiocese ordained in 2010 — who was appointed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan in November 2021 and who became the cathedral's first Hispanic rector. He is assisted on the staff by Rev. Andrew King (Master of Ceremonies), Rev. Donald Haggerty, Rev. Ryan Muldoon and Rev. Damian O'Connell.
- Archbishop Ronald Hicks
- Rector Fr. Enrique F. Salvo
- M.C. Fr. Andrew King
- Rev. Donald Haggerty
- Rev. Ryan Muldoon
- Rev. Damian O'Connell
Sacraments
Information on the sacraments, sacramental records, and the Office of the Rector is centralized on the cathedral's Sacraments & Records page. Weddings are celebrated only on Saturdays and require a baptized Catholic resident of the Archdiocese of New York (or a contiguous NYC diocese), with an initial interview at least a year in advance. Baptisms are normally arranged at one's home parish but may be celebrated at the cathedral in qualifying cases (such as where the parents were married at St. Patrick's). Records for Baptism, Marriage, First Communion, and Confirmation are obtainable through the Records Department at 460 Madison Avenue, with a $10 donation requested.
- Baptism (by petition)
- Marriage (Saturdays only)
- Reconciliation
- Eucharistic Adoration
- Anointing of the Sick / Funerals (by request)
- Sacramental records (460 Madison Ave.)
Music & Liturgy
The Office of Music, led since 2012 by Jennifer Pascual, DMA, supervises the cathedral's choirs, two pipe organs, and organ recital and concert programs. Associate Directors of Music and Organists Daniel Brondel and Mark Pacoe (later succeeded by Michael Hey) coordinate the Kilgen Organ Recital Series, the weekday cantors and guest choir concerts, and wedding music coordination. The Sunday 10:15 AM Solemn Mass is the focal musical event, with music at most other daily and Sunday Masses as well.
- Director of Music: Jennifer Pascual, DMA
- Associate Director: Daniel Brondel
- Associate Director: Mark Pacoe
- Kilgen Organ Recital Series
- Wedding Music
- Video Production / Livestream Ministry
Evangelization & Service
The Office of Evangelization and Service Ministries, headed by Colin Nykaza, coordinates the cathedral's pastoral outreach, faith-formation initiatives and social programs that flow from the Mother Church to the wider archdiocese. The archdiocese and the cathedral jointly run programs that welcome immigrants and the homeless through the doors of America's Parish and connect visitors to local parishes for ongoing sacramental life.
- Director Colin Nykaza
- Outreach to the homeless and visitors
- Connection to parish-based Sacramental life
- Welcoming immigrant New Yorkers
Architecture & Art
Clad in Tuckahoe marble on a base of Lee, Massachusetts marble and Dix Island granite, the cathedral embodies the Decorated Gothic Revival with its pointed-arch windows, paired towers and flamboyant spires, and an interior with side chapels, transepts, a chancel and a crypt. Notable artistic features include the rose window on the Fifth Avenue facade, two pipe organs (including a 6,800-pipe Kilgen organ, installed in 1928), a series of stained-glass windows made in Europe, and the marble altar presented by Pope Paul VI.
- Tuckahoe marble cladding
- Lee, MA marble facade
- Dix Island granite base
- Twin 330-ft octagonal spires
- Rose window
- Kilgen organ (1928)
- Marble altar (gift of Pope Paul VI)
- Crypt of former archbishops
Visiting & Tours
The cathedral welcomes more than five million visitors a year. The Parish House at 14 East 51st Street is open 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM every day of the week; visitors are encouraged to tour outside of Mass times for a quieter experience. Guided tours can be reserved through the online Book a Tour page, which also documents accessibility accommodations for those with limited mobility.
- Parish House hours: Sun–Sat 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Book a Tour (online)
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance on Fifth Avenue
- Accessible restrooms in side lobbies
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. Robert T. Ritchie2006–2021
Retired in November 2021 after serving as rector since 2006.
- Very Rev. Enrique F. Salvo2021–present
Appointed by Cardinal Dolan effective November 15, 2021; first Hispanic rector of the cathedral; previously pastor of St. Anselm–St. Roch (Bronx).
