St. Patrick's Cathedral

Disappointed with the cathedrals door policy. while it’s free to get into you need a strong conscience to pass the gentlemen asking for donations at the door. As a catholic I see this as a place of worship and donations are voluntary and a matter of choice. While I would of undoubtedly left a contribution I take umbrage being asked outright for it. If you wish to light a candle for a loved one will cost you a little more than your local church save your money and light one at home.

Each winter we visit the immediate area for the holidays. Rockefeller Center, Radio City and Sax Fifth Avenue's Light show are all literally steps from this Cathedral. Since we typically plan our visits on Sunday, we include Mass at St. Patrick's as part of our day. On a given Sunday, there are about 8 various Mass times to choose from & at least one of them is in Spanish. Masses start at 7am and the last is at 5:30pm. This makes it really easy to still visit NYC on a Sunday and attend Mass.

The church itself is MASSIVE and pretty ornate. The architecture is stunning. Many visit just to walk around and take in the baeuty of this cathedral without even attending Mass. When you arrive, the church staff will ask IF you are attending Mass. They will also check your bags. So be prepared to show them.

Even with its size and amount of seating, we found it hard to find seats during mass this Christmas. We did find a couple seats in the back of the church. However, from there we could not really see the altar. There are TV screens mounted on the huge pillars that block your view of the altar, but the TV screens were NOT broadcasting the Mass while we were there. So, not sure whey they have them IF they are not going to use them.

Overall, we have enjoyed the Masses that we have attended at St. Patrick's Cathedral. It feels really welcoming and the extensive Mass schedule makes it so convenient to attend Mass while visiting NYC over the holidays. I would recommend to anyone visiting the area.

We decided to visit the cathedral on a Sunday to experience Mass. The service was quick and there were tourist walking around the whole time. This blew me away! Being Catholic, Mass is viewed as a holy and sacred act. My wedding Mass could not be video recorded because of its sanctity, but tourist can walk freely around during Mass? After Mass, we were going to do our guided tour. We did not realize we needed headphones. We also had to hurry because there was another Mass starting at 10:15. I certainly do not feel the $115 for my family to do the self guided tour was worth the money. I also feel self guided tours should not be permitted on Sundays during Mass. This saddens me that something so sacred has been compromised just to make a buck.

Ona positive note, the architecture of the cathedral is absolutely beautiful!

This cathedral is an architectural delight, and the recently refurbished interior is magnificent. The pipe organ is splendid, so try to attend a service at which sacred music is played and sung. The stained glass windows are incredible and national treasures. The Cardinal Archbishop, Timothy Dolan, is a delightful and jolly priest, but he also delivers a thoughtful homily. My only quibble is that there seems to be only one single use restroom, not nearly enough for the crowds who visit this popular site.

What a beautiful evening, Christmas Eve Mass at St Pat’s. Any mass is special in this Cathedral but at Christmas it shines even brighter. For a evening x-mas eve mass you need to be seated at least 60-75 minutes before the mass. We were lucky to find a couple of good seats in the middle of the church an hour before the service so earlier is better. St. Pat’s holds 2,400 hundred and for these services they actually had 600+ standing. The organ during the holidays is magnificent and if you love Christmas Carole’s we sang 10-12 classics. We will look for you next year! Bryant Park is close by and even on Christmas Eve the market is open and very festive! Rockefeller Center is just two blocks away and that is also shining brightly. Put it on your to do list for next year!

After a day of shopping on Fifth Ave, I decided to stop into St. Patrick’s Cathedral I haven’t been here in years and I have forgotten on how magnificent this cathedral is - from the beautiful stained glass windows to the individual alters of Saints a must see prepare to go through security/bag check

It has been my dream to attend full mass at St.Patrick Cathedral and this time i was able to attend not one but two masses. The Cathedral interiors was sacred and the Altar wss decorated with poinsettias.The mass itself was simple and lasted for 30 minutes.the place was crowded and torists were all around during mass taking photos. Overall it was a healing experience

We attended the Sunday mass at the cathedral. The service was very touching and the choir made it special. The cathedral interior is very impressive with the lovely stained glass windows, statues and the feeling of peace and tranquility. There was a special exposition so we waited in queue for the adoration. We spent some time after mass to take in the beauty of this cathedral and get a sense of calm.

St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and there are many people of Irish descent in NYC. Saint Patrick's is a beautiful church, built in Gothic Revival style, which was popular in the late 19th century.. St Patrick's is the seat of the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Dolan; it also functions as a parish church. Five miilion people of many faiths and nationalities visit the Cathedral each year. It is on 5th Avenue, in Midtown. By the way, the gift shop is popular with those of faith seeking deveotional items.

St. Patrick’s in my opinion is a must visit when in New York. I love the architecture of the building and the atmosphere the coloured windows create. There is the big main hall but also some small niches farther to the back what makes it a place to go explore a little bit. I’d recommend to take the time to visit this cathedral and not just walk past it while strolling up/down 5th Avenue.