Michael Francis Rizzi, Do You Renounce Satan? The Churches of Little Italy, Manhattan Part 1

One can easily devote a complete blog to Little Italy in Manhattan. The area is filled with filled with the history of immigrants (Irish, then Italian, now Chinese) and La Cosa Nostra.  The neighborhood also has beautiful churches and a strong cinematic heritage.

Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral (now a basilica), the predecessor of its more famous successor, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, located on Fifth Avenue, is intricate to the history of Roman Catholicism in New York City.  The church was at the center of violent disputes between Irish Catholics and Protestant Know-Nothing activists in the early part of the 19th Century.  In addition, freed Haitian slave Pierre Toussaint and his wife were buried in the graveyard there. 



The main entrance to the church. 



Notice there are no masses in Italian; but mass in Chinese is offered.

The gate to enter the courtyard of the old church.

The old church has also hosted famous scenes from mob movies.  In Mean Streets (1973), a young Martin Scorsese filmed a young David Proval (as Tony) who is struggling to rationalize his deep Catholic convictions with his mobster lifestyle (film is worth a look just to see a very young Robert DeNiro).



David Proval, as Tony, asking for forgiveness. 



However, the most memorable scene filmed in Old St. Patrick’s is the baptism scene from The Godfather.  Al Pacino, as Michael Corlene, stands as godfather for his nephew.  During the scene, director Francis Ford Copolla highlights antiquated Roman Catholic baptism rituals and the Sicilian Mafia ritual of vengeance by murder.  Copolla’s examination of this complex subject is worth seeing again (please see video below).   



This is the view of the church when the baptism scene begins.