In the heart of Lower Manhattan stands the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral—a witness to over two centuries of New York’s Catholic story. Earlier this month, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, head of the Archdiocese of New York, entrusted the historic Basilica, known fondly as Old St. Pat’s, to the Legionaries of Christ. On August 15th, Fr. Daniel Ray, LC, was appointed as pastor, with support from the Legionaries of Christ community in Rye, NY. Fr. Daniel’s official installation will occur on Sunday, October 19th.
“We’re really honored that Cardinal Dolan would entrust the care of the basilica to us.”
Says Fr. Daniel, who hopes to put the charism of Regnum Christi at the service of the parish in an even deeper way, making the church a home for the RC mission in Manhattan.
This is the second parish the Congregation has been entrusted with in the Archdiocese of New York. For over 10 years, the Legionaries have served the parish of St. Peter and St. Denis in Yonkers— a vibrant and growing Catholic community where Fr. Donald Kaufman, LC, is pastor, and fathers Helio Cantu, LC, and Eric Nielsen LC, are associate pastors.
Serving St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral is nothing new for the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi, who have been ministering out of the parish in a variety of ways for well over a decade. Fr. Daniel has been serving as the associate pastor of the basilica for some time, and before him, Fr. Jason Smith, LC, worked as the parish’ parochial vicar. For many years, Regnum Christi has been hosting monthly activities out of Old St. Pat’s, like mini and weekend retreats and youth events.
Photo credit: Facebook, Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
For 15 years, Regnum Christi members and volunteers have based major street missions out of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in the SoHo and NoLIta neighborhoods of lower Manhattan during Advent and Holy Week. Street missionaries hand out rosaries and invite passers-by to visit the basilica, come in for the sacrament of confession, or attend an upcoming Mass. For Steve Auth, author of The Missionary of Wall Street, St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral is mission headquarters for Holy Week Missions:
St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, SoHo. It’s Holy Thursday and the storm of yesterday has passed. Clear skies, warmer temperatures, no frigid wind. As I arrive at Mission HQ at 4:00 from uptown, several missionaries are waiting and more are pouring in. Our ranks of battle-tested veterans was reinforced by several joyful Regnum Christi missionaries from other regions . . . all of this extra energy on the streets seemed to attract souls, and each missionary team sprinkled around the neighborhood was busy almost non-stop with passers-by on their way to dinner who ended up instead in the church.
Steve Auth, “A New Beginning,” April 18, 2025
Photo credit: Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. “Manhattan: Prince Street – Mott Street,” 1929. New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Completed in 1815, Old St. Pat’s is the first cathedral of the Archdiocese of New York. Originally serving primarily the Irish immigrant population, the basilica has become one of the primary parishes for young professionals in Manhattan but also has Spanish and Italian communities that calls Old St. Pat’s home.
“We are very grateful to Cardinal Dolan for entrusting us with the care of Old St. Pat’s, a historic parish that has been a cornerstone of faith and mission for generations of Catholics in New York.” says Fr. Shawn Aaron, LC, territorial director of the Legionaries of Christ. “We hope to continue that legacy by serving this dynamic community with the charism of Regnum Christi.”
“It’s such a beautiful, historic, and vibrant church,” says Fr. Daniel. “We’ve been blessed to be collaborating with Old St. Pat’s for a number of years and hope to be able to keep such a good thing going with the community.”
Fr. Daniel, who was ordained in December of 2006, serves as the superior of the Rye community. He is also a chaplain for the Lumen Institute in Manhattan, and serves on the board for RC Education. You can listen to his homilies from St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral on the Regnum Christi App and at rcnytristate.org.
The mission of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi in New York is broad, serving the needs of the Church with the RC Charism in diverse ways. Other ministries include serving as chaplain for Seton Fellows, university graduates who offer one to two years of service as educators for children in underserved communities through charter schools located primarily in the Bronx; running Three to Get Married, a marriage preparation program offered twice a year; retreats for men and women as well as retreats and conventions aimed specifically at young adults; and the Lumen Institute, a Catholic organization for business and societal leaders who seek personal development in character, faith, and leadership. Learn more about the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi on our websites.