Just before the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced yesterday the beginning phase of the $177 million renovation of St. Patrick's Cathedral. His timing was impeccable, getting that call in before the streets were flooded with suburban weekend warriors expressing the true spirit of yesterday's sanctified Catholic hoilday. more ›

Newly elevated Cardinal Timothy Dolan was in top form yesterday, leading a special prayer service a week after being honored in the Vatican. Dolan lifted his red biretta at St. Patrick's Cathedral to attendees including Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg, "I come from the town of St. Louis that boasts 'This Bud’s For You'—but I say this morning, New York this hat’s for you." WHAT? No St. Louis CARDINALS pun? Do 5,000 Hail Marys now. more ›

St. Patrick's Cathedral was "standing-room-only" yesterday at a thanksgiving mass led by Cardinal Egan celebrating the beatification of Pope John Paul II, the Daily News reports. Several New Yorkers in attendance were quoted as saying that "he deserved to be a saint," and that "it's a very cool thing--he was a very spiritual man." We assume the Vatican's HR department would screen out all of those "non-spiritual" papal applications (notable exception: Pope Dwayne "Boogie" Williams, also known as "The Surfer Pope" of the 12th century). more ›

At midnight, Archbishop Timothy Dolan held Midnight Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, drawing an audience of hundreds, including Mayor Bloomberg, Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo and Police Commission Ray Kelly. Archbishop Dolan said, “A blessed Christmas to everyone. We are all home for Christmas here at St. Patrick’s cathedral. This holds true for silent night," and "We desperately try to fill up what's missing, while the root of every anguish is that we ignore the only one who can really fill that void: God." more ›

Nathaniel Fons, the three-year-old dumped at St. Patrick's Cathedral by his mother's friends, is leaving NYC: A judge said, "This child belongs in Florida. His parents are in Florida. He's lived in Florida." Well, his parents are in Florida, but both are behind bars—his mother Erin Comeau passed a counterfeit $100 bill and his father Williams Fons violated his parole when he didn't register as a sex offender. While his paternal grandparents, who did raise him for a period, traveled to NYC in hopes of getting custody, Comeau recently said she wanted her mother, in Maryland, to raise the boy. The Administration for Children's Services, which is caring for Nathaniel, said the maternal grandmother feels she "had an obligation to her grandson and she wanted to fulfill it." more ›

Nathaniel Fons, the three-year-old who was abandoned at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Tuesday afternoon, saw his paternal grandparents yesterday. However, he will remain in the custody of the city's Administration for Children's Services as the authorities continue to investigate his situation, which includes two jailed parents. A source told the Daily News, "There are all of these moving parts to unravel." more ›

The grandparents of a three-year-old who was abandoned at St. Patrick's Cathedral earlier this week are overjoyed because they will be reunited with him today. Little Nathaniel Fons approached a church guard on Tuesday night; the guard found a note in his pocket with the number of a Florida detective. Fons' mother had been arrested for using a counterfeit $100 bill, leaving Nathaniel to her friends' cares. The NYPD is looking for the friends, who are also suspected of being part of the counterfeiting ring, and Commissioner Kelly said, "They would face the charges for endangering the welfare of a child. He's three years of age. They put him out by himself outside of a St. Patrick's Cathedral." more ›

Three-year-old Nathaniel Fons may be safe after being left at St. Patrick's Cathedral, but getting him back to his family may take a while: According to the Post, his paternal grandparents who raised him "may have to wait weeks to see him until the legal and custody issues surrounding his disappearance are sorted out." The boy is now in the custody of the Administration for Children's Services. more ›

A missing three-year-old boy from Florida was found at St. Patrick's Cathedral last night. Nathaniel Fons had a note in his pocket with "his name, his mother's name, and the name of the detective investigating this case in Flagler County, Fla," according to WCBS 2, which adds that little Nathaniel is now "safe and unharmed after a whirlwind two days that apparently included a crime spree, arrest and cross-country journey." more ›

St. Patrick's Cathedral held a service last night to mourn the death of Polish president Lech Kaczynski and the 96 others on his plane, which crashed in Russia on Saturday morning. The service was actually planned earlier as a commemoration of Polish Pope John Paul II, who died five years ago this month, but turned into a tribute to Kaczynski in the wake of the tragic news. One Brooklyn resident told the Daily News, "He was my president. Everyone in Poland loved him. He died too soon." more ›

Tomorrow evening Nelson Diaz's exhibition, The Isolated Christ, will travel through the streets of New York (it's likely the least controversial Christ piece to hit NYC in recent memory—remember choco-Jesus?). The work is described as "a pictoral study where Da Vinci meets Einsteinian Math, endorsed by master artist Francis Bacon." Perhaps that's why the four paintings will journey towards the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where there's currently a retrospective of Bacon's work. more ›

During the elaborate installation ceremonies yesterday, Archbishop Timothy Dolan said to the thousands gathered at St. Patrick's Cathedral, "This cathedral has been such a warm, embracing, spiritual hall for so many millions. Thank you. Thank you all for embracing me." Dolan, replacing retiring Edward Cardinal Egan, is now the leader of the New York Archdiocese, which has 2.5 million in the NY area. more ›

Around 6 p.m., if you see a man of the cloth (followed by the press) knocking on the doors of St. Patrick's Cathedral, don't be alarmed—it'll just be the new leader of the New York Archdiocese. Archbishop Timothy Dolan will be symbolically asking New York's Roman Catholic community to accept him. more ›

Edward Cardinal Egan told worshippers at St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday, "We are here for a passing moment of eternity." The 77-year-old was discussing the world's problems during his final Easter Sunday mass as head of the New York Archdiocese, "Life can appear unfair and pointless, but Easter gives meaning to the reality of life." more ›

Edward Cardinal Egan, who vowed to celebrate his final Easter Week services at St. Patrick's Cathedral in spite of a recent hospitalization, did not deliver last night's mass. Last week, a stomach virus kept him in the hospital for a few days and doctors also recommended he receive a pacemaker, but Egan returned to deliver Holy Thursday and Good Friday services; on Friday, sitting at a table instead of standing, he told parishioners, "None of us in our lives expect to really escape suffering. I may tell you it's an experience that's more intensive as you grow older." The 77-year-old head of the NY Archdiocese, who is retiring this week (Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee will be installed as his successor on Sunday), is leading today's Easter mass at 10:15 a.m. After he steps down, he will lead, according to the Post, "a French-speaking flock at the new Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary mission on 33rd Street and First Avenue." more ›

Before a service at St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday, Edward Cardinal Egan told reporters, "I'm feeling pretty good but not as good as I should be. To miss Holy Thursday and Good Friday would be a heavy cross to bear. I decided not to bear that one if I didn't have to." The 77-year-old head of the NY Archdiocese had been hospitalized for a few days starting last Saturday for stomach pains (which the NY Times says was a "gastrointestinal virus") and will need surgery to have a pacemaker implanted. But Egan was upbeat and said he would lead services today, tomorrow and Easter Sunday, which will then lead into next week when his successor, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, will be installed. One NJ woman who attended the service told the Times, "It’s kind of incredible he was able to make it. I have a lot of respect for his determination." more ›

WCBS 2 reports that Cardinal Egan "was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital after experiencing stomach pains... Egan was awake and alert. Doctors were unclear what his problem was, but Church officials said the situation was not serious." Egan was planning on performing his last Palm Sunday mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral before his retirement, but did not due to his illness. WCBS 2 adds, "The Cardinal is intended to celebrate Easter Mass, pending successful hospital tests." Egan, who just turned 77, is retiring; Archbishop Timothy Dolan will be installed on April 15. Update: Cardinal Egan is receiving a pacemaker. more ›

Yesterday, thousands of people lined Fifth Avenue for a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI. After giving the first ever papal mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral--and having a private lunch with Cardinal Egan--Pope Benedict emerged in his Popemobile to cheering crowds. Before his only Popemobile trip, the pontiff asked the audience at St. Patrick's for greater unity in the Catholic church. more ›

Pope Benedict is giving the first ever papal mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, after being greeted by cardinals, bishops, priests, nuns and others who flocked to Fifth Avenue to see the Holy Father. You can see the mass on local news stations or online (at the websites of WNBC, 7online, WCBS, MyFox). Mayor Bloomberg greeted the Pope and told the audience at St. Pat's, "This a historic day for New York." more ›

His Holiness is the hottest ticket in town, and ANIMAL is showing the true audacity of the Pope by providing a high-res scan of a ticket to the street gallery for Pope Benedict's St. Patrick's Cathedral Mass tomorrow. more ›

A taxi cab caught fire at Fifth Avenue and 50th Street, outside St. Patrick's Cathedral. The fire was extinguished within a half hour, but part of Fifth Avenue was shut down an hour and a half. According to WNBC, the cab driver, who "got out of the cab and ran away after it caught fire," will not be charged by the police. more ›

The NYPD is making sure security is high for Pope Benedict's visit to New York City next week. Not only will there be undercover cops with "pager-sized radiation detectors" and bomb-sniffing dogs, there will be sharpshooters, scuba divers, and others, plus the Secret Service and the Pope's Swiss Guard, on hand. more ›

Earlier this week, a National Labor Committee report claimed that crosses sold at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trinity Church and other churches were made in Chinese sweatshops. The NLC said that the Singer Company employed young women at 26 cents an hour and forced them to work a 100 hours a week; plus, the woman are docked pay for food and boarding, leaving them with pay of just 9 cents an hour. You can read... more ›