Catholics in New York Examined

By

Cahir O'Doherty,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

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Political banners, vestments of the clergy, school uniforms, yearbooks from the 19th century, trophies, cups, academic medals, and all the paraphernalia of a flourishing culture are on display. First Holy Communion cards, parade sashes and Communion and Confirmation outfits bring Irish Catholic history vividly to life.

Poignantly, the more than 100 photos of daily family life also give faces and names to the rush of history, as do the many oral histories presented on audio and video.

The exhibition concludes in 1946, the banner year when large numbers of Irish immigrant Catholic families availed of exciting new government programs, such as the fabled G.I. Bill - which, to this day, veteran New York writer and novelist Pete Hamill still crosses himself when he speaks of - a bill that provided education, vocational training and housing loans to World War II veterans that helped them break out of the ghettos for the first time and move toward complete financial independence.

Catholics in New York: Society, Culture, and Politics, 1808-1946, a companion book to the show has been published by Fordham University Press featuring essays by Hamill, William Donohue and others which is available for purchase at the museum. The story of Irish Catholics in New York, it turns out, is the story of the city itself.

The exhibition runs until December 31 at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street. Call 212-534-1672.

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