A Summer in New York City

As a sophomore transferring to Boston College, I desired a career in the accounting/finance field. The problem-solving involved, along with the ability to justly aid clients with my analysis, was very attractive to me, and I considered it a dream position in the future. 

As my first semester progressed, and as I began to look into potential internships, I finally arrived at an accounting position, but perhaps just as intriguing to me would be the journey I would undergo commuting from my home in New Jersey, into and out of New York City.

The mere facts of this city shocked and quite honestly overwhelmed me. With about a million people commuting into it each day, along with millions that live there, I knew my summer days would be filled with chaos, on top of this incredible learning experience that awaited me.

However, my source of hope, the one thing I knew could relieve me of this stress, would be a quick two-minute detour from my 10-minute walk from my bus stop to a special place calling my name as it faced the statue of Atlas trying to hold the world together (an image myself and many can relate to at certain times) in front of Rockefeller Center. That place would be the famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral. 

As a Son of St. Patrick at Boston College, this place meant a lot to me. I felt that a piece of Boston College followed me into this enormous city, and called to me to return to the simplicity of my Catholic faith, grand as this Cathedral may have seemed. 

So, I ventured on this journey. I knew that as good as this internship experience would be, I needed a way to be with my Savior every day, to receive Him, and to be transformed by Him. Starting my mornings with a bus ride while listening to C.S. Lewis audiobooks about who Jesus Christ is, getting into the city around 7 AM, and arriving at this Cathedral, truly transformed the stressful and chaotic days in the city.

The beautiful Neo-Gothic exterior drew my attention from blocks away, inviting me each day to enter into this place of beauty. I walked in and saw the hundreds of pews, and the beautiful golden Baldachino (a canopy) over the altar drew me to the beauty of the Mass. 

Walking around the exterior and seeing over 20 different altars, along with multiple statues dedicated to different saints, reminded me that the Saints were praying over me and all those who entered the cathedral. 

When exploring the back of the cathedral, behind the main altar, I found two of my favorite parts of St. Patrick’s: a chapel filled with magnificent stained glass of all sorts of biblical stories that disallowed photography, creating an intimate prayerful space, and a sculpted Pieta. They were both truly magnificent and breathtaking. 

The other stunning part was the tint of blue of the stained glass throughout the cathedral: a majestic, heavenly blue I had never seen in all the churches I had ever been to. 

Upon attending Mass, seeing others in suits before their workday and daily Massgoers praying so early in the morning brought me to the realization that I can have this life. I can live a life with my family, providing for my family through work that I enjoy, while also being able to visit a chapel, and receive the most precious Body and Blood of Jesus, along with the Sacrament of Confession, daily!

My experience at St. Patrick’s showed me beauty that nowhere else in New York City can replicate and the beauty of receiving the Lord daily in a city despite having every reason to be filled with anxiety. It transformed this summer for me and instilled hope that a life with Christ can exist in any circumstance.