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Thursday, January 28, 2010

At Large / Religion A Note to the Faithful of NYC

Posted by Dan Savage on Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 10:09 AM

St. Thomas Church on 5th Ave. is much lovelier, and much less crowded, than St. Patrick's Cathedral, and it's just a block and a half further up the street. Yes, it's an episcopal church, not a Catholic cathedral, and those Anglican schismatics are all going to burn in hell. But if you need a quite moment in a sacredish seeming place, and you don't mind sharing it with a few misguided souls lead fatally astray by Henry VIII's inability to negotiate an open relationship or embrace polyamory—if you're going to have six wives, and tear the church in half to get 'em, why not have six wives concurrently?—head up the street to St. Thomas.

Comments (21) RSS

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The Little Church on 29th (between 5th and Madison) is another quiet super-pretty Episcopalian church. Their courtyard is particularly pretty, one of my favorite places in Manhattan to tuck myself away with a book and a cup of tea (SubtleTea's around the corner on Madison and 30th)

Posted by miriam on January 28, 2010 at 10:23 AM

Six, Dan, right? "The Six Wives of Henry VIII"

Posted by Timmytee on January 28, 2010 at 10:24 AM

now now-
Henry didn't tear the Church in half;
he just freed a little corner of it from the evil domination of Satan's spawn the Pope. And he and Britain (and eventually the World) were blessed abundantly therefore and thereby while the heathen Spanish were likewise cursed and the rest is history.

Posted by God Save the King on January 28, 2010 at 10:24 AM

Polyamory is wrong. It's either Multiamory or Polyphilia but mixing Greek and Latin roots? Wrong!

Posted by Mugwumpt on January 28, 2010 at 10:33 AM

Also: openly gay bishops.

Posted by giantladysquirrels on January 28, 2010 at 10:33 AM

@ 3 is correct.

Posted by Matt from Denver on January 28, 2010 at 10:34 AM

ACT-UP stormed St. Patrick's during mass 20 years ago. Worth sitting in a bit for those who like to visit all the gay history sites in town.

Posted by gloomy gus on January 28, 2010 at 10:38 AM

Count me as another "ethnic Catholic" who loves the calming sonic and visual qualities of such places. The motive of the architect is so much purer and more direct than that of the cleric.

Posted by rob!

on January 28, 2010 at 10:42 AM

@3: Brain fart, sorry. Corrected, thanks...

Posted by Dan Savage on January 28, 2010 at 10:58 AM

I've seen this mistake a lot lately and it's been bugging me.

Lead: a heavy, soft metal
Led: the past tense of "to lead"

Posted by keshmeshi on January 28, 2010 at 11:02 AM

Dan! That's my very favorite church in the city! I hope you noticed the relief sculpture of WWI era American soldiers rushing across a battlefield in France and the statues of secular American saints, like George Washington. The reredos is just stunning. So Gothic, even more so than that more famous Catholic church down the street.

Posted by Zach on January 28, 2010 at 11:03 AM

When I was 13 my family visited New York, and the first day we went out walking, and right in front of St. Pat's was a filthy hobo, the first this suburban boy had ever seen, screaming "FUCK YOU! FUCK THE POPE! FUCK THE CATHOLIC CHURCH! COCKSUCKING MOTHERFUCKERS!" at the top of his lungs, reverberating off of all the other buildings. Quite an eye-opener.

Now of course the loud-voiced moron in the street is me.

Posted by Fnarf

on January 28, 2010 at 11:13 AM

Dan was thinking of Herman's Hermits :)

Posted by myr on January 28, 2010 at 11:24 AM

So, I guess you're visiting our fair city this week, Dan. Thanks soooo much for the tip. There's nothing we New Yorkers appreciate more than receiving "interesting site" tips from tourists. We KNOW there are waaaay prettier churches in NYC than St. Pat's. All the people who go there are tourists. Know any good places to eat? Tavern on the Green closed and it was the only good restaurant I know of in the city.

Posted by nyker on January 28, 2010 at 12:59 PM

Wish I could've read this before visiting St Pat's in June 2008. Between the bishop rushing and mumbling his way through Mass, the douchebag tourists in the back taking flash photos with impunity, and the douchebag tourists in the pews clutching their H&M and Saks merch bags as they lined up for Communion, the experience was a thorough disappointment for this Catholic.

Posted by 82 on January 28, 2010 at 1:28 PM

If I remember correctly, (it's been years) St. Thomas (definitely much prettier and warmer than St. Pats) had cushions on the pews. Presumably Prots have more delicate heinies than Catholics.

Posted by fruitbat on January 28, 2010 at 2:32 PM

Hey Dan,

Welcome to NYC! The bets church (and also quite peaceful) to check out is St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights. Yes, it's a bit out of the way, but check it out. You'll be amazed.

Oh and to #15: Relax, douchebag. I live in "our fair city" as well but I just assumed that Dan's tip is maybe directed at the 95 percent of Americans who DON'T live in NYC.

Posted by Lawrence in NYC on January 29, 2010 at 12:36 AM

@18 - First of all, I was just busting Dan's chops (read: I was KIDDING); Second of all, his tip actually IS directed at you and I as it specifically says, "to the Faithful of NYC."

Posted by nyker on January 29, 2010 at 5:05 AM

Actually, Henry did go through a "Why not just be married to both of them at once?" phase when he was trying to dump wife #1 for wife #2.

Posted by RCD05 on January 31, 2010 at 7:08 AM

Also, the choir at St. Thomas is GREAT.

Posted by Liner Notes Danny on January 31, 2010 at 6:27 PM