Hundreds of tourists from around the world would normally attend a weekday Mass in the middle summer at St. Patrick's Cathedral, but on Monday, just a hand full of the faithful were scattered among the pews. 

What You Need To Know


  • Church officials say lack of tourists and visitors to St. Patrick's Cathedral has left a $4 million hole in the cathedral's budget this year.

  • St. Patrick's reopened during Phase 2, but attendance is limited.

  • Pre-pandemic, 5.5 million people visit St. Patrick's Cathedral yearly.

"I was shocked at how few people were in there ‘cause usually it is packed, but people are really afraid," said one church goer after mass.

Church officials say the lack of worshipers because of the coronavirus has opened a $4 million hole in the cathedral's budget this year.

St. Pat’s, along with other houses of worship, shut their doors back in March, as one of the holiest and busiest seasons of the year for Catholics was beginning.

"The Easter season we would have hundreds of thousands of people coming through and absolutely nobody did," added Msgr. Robert T. Ritchie, the rector at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The cathedral did not reopen until the end of June, and when it did, capacity was limited to reduce the likelihood of the coronavirus spreading among worshipers.

But attendance has been sparse even with application of the new guidelines. 

Monsignor Ritchie said that with only 500 regular parishioners, St. Pat's relies on the donations of tourists and other visitors to help make ends meet.

"That's how we supported ourselves, with the generosity of our visitors,” Ritchie said.

With foot traffic on Fifth Avenue low, donations from lighting candles or prayer offerings are down, too.  

Gift shop revenue also is down dramatically and all planned fundraisers have been cancelled. 

St. Patrick's is now asking for donations on its website to help pay the bills, which officials say has been difficult in recent weeks. 

The cathedral's financial problems were first reported by The New York Times. 

"We ask people just to help us because we want to keep the lights on. St. Patrick is a beacon of hope for America," said Monsignor Ritchie.

The Archdiocese of New York, which oversees St. Patrick’s, did receive federal relief through the Paycheck Protection Program, but Monsignor Ritchie said that money went towards ensuring church employees remained on the payroll.