St Peter's Roman Catholic Church — Attraction in New York

I love this place, I'm all from Harlem, but I travel for a peaceful church environment. However, I like to go and sit and have my conversation with God in prayer. I do understand their closing time, but I wish they wouldn't interrupt someone during their prayers. It's not right to interrupt a person while praying/meditating. They don't know what a person's struggling with or what each individual is praying for. Afterward, I go to Starbucks nearby. Also, they should be open till at least 7 pm or later, hire a security guard if they need to. Plus, I'm observant, I don't like that I feel like I'm being stared or judged because I don't look like I don't belong there. "COME AS YOU ARE." Remember?

The priest always looks at me like I'm going to steel something, but I contribute to the church through lighting of the candles 🕯 for my loved ones, people i care about. I have them in my email for updates about the church and their events. So why judge? Shouldn't the judging be up to GOD? All this is from reading and observing people and body languages. But they should have it open every day like they've used to, at least till 7 or 8pm. I don't mind going to Mass, but I like to sit some place quiet as I talk with God in peace. It is peaceful in that church. That's why I do go there. Hire security if they need to, just a strong...

This is where Catholic New York was started. The downtown parish, the city’s first, was founded in 1785 after the American Revolution brought Catholics and other minorities their religious freedom. It was also home to New York State’s first free Catholic school, which opened its doors in 1800.

It is dwarfed by its shiny new neighbor, One World Trade Center. But St. Peter’s, built in 1834, is hard to find for another reason. Its temple-like facade, with a stone pediment and columns, is so stately that from across the street I almost mistook it for a colonial seat of legislature like Federal Hall on Wall Street. But its interior, with an altar of gilded pilasters and crystal chandeliers and redolent of incense, displayed a subtle, ornate beauty. I arrived on a Wednesday afternoon just as daily Mass was ending; office workers on their breaks darted for the doors, while tourists shuffled out slowly, admiring the stained-glass windows.

At the church’s entrance is a statue of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint and founder of Sisters of Charity, who was baptized there at age 30, after her husband’s death. The conversion of a well-born Episcopal widow to an immigrant religion was scandalous...

We visited for Sunday Mass while in NYC for a weekend. The church is beautiful and we loved the First Sunday of Advent homily. We felt somewhat welcomed at the morning "family/children's" Mass. We sat in the second row, which was mostly empty, and then got asked to move so the kids could sit in the first 2 rows. The kids only filled the first row, so we got moved for no reason, which as a visitor, made me feel frustrated. I'm all for children being the focus of a ministry and making sure kids know why they are in church. However, there was so much talking, squirming, dancing (seriously, flossing) among the kids, and NO adult (parents, teachers) did anything about it. So incredibly distracting during what should have been a prayerful start to a preparative season of Advent. We will probably attend a different church the next time...