Br. Charles Marie Rooney, O.P., on Atlas and the Infant

"In the heart of Midtown Manhattan lies a juxtaposition of cosmic irony. On the west side of Fifth Avenue, between 50th and 51st Streets, stands Atlas, a four-story bronze statue of the great Titan of ancient Greek mythology, who was condemned by Zeus to uphold the heavens for all eternity after the Titans' defeat in the epic Titanomachy. Atlas braces, struggling under the mighty weight of his charge, before the entrance to one of the most iconic sites in New York City - Rockefeller Center - which is flanked on three sides by some of the world’s largest and most influential investment banks, law firms, and media companies

"On the fourth side of Rockefeller Center, though, directly across Fifth Avenue from Atlas, is a building of a different genus: Saint Patrick's Cathedral, the mother church of the Archdiocese of New York and the most-visited Catholic cathedral in the United States. Built by the faith and sweat of Catholic immigrants in the 19th century, the cathedral is a brick and marble temple in what is otherwise a jungle of concrete and steel. To this day, its soaring neo-Gothic spires - which once rose high above the nascent New York City skyline when the church was first consecrated in 1879 -lift the eyes and spirit heavenward in a way that the sleek, sterile lines of skyscrapers are unable. Its every square inch exists to facilitate the reverent praise of God. 

"At first glance, the placement of Atlas - an obvious artifact of pagan mythology - straight across from the Cathedral could be read as a kind of secular imposition upon sacred ground. . . . But a deeper look inside St. Patrick's brings into sharp relief the paradox of its apposition to the Titan. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Brother Charles Marie Rooney, O.P., reflected on the contrast between the Divine Presence in the cathedral and Atlas and the other nearby passing glories.

To access Br. Charles Marie's complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: Atlas and the Infant (13 AUG 19)