St. Patrick’s Cathedral, one of the most famous churches in the United States, has long depended on tourists and office workers to fill its pews and its collection plates. But now that the coronavirus has left Midtown Manhattan largely deserted, it is facing a $4 million budget shortfall that may threaten its ability to pay its bills. The cathedral sits in one of the least residential parts of the city, and its rector estimates that 90 percent of those who typically worship there do not live nearby. The pandemic has kept visitors away for months, depriving the cathedral of revenue and leaving it marooned in a sea of empty office buildings, vacant hotels and boarded-up luxury retailers. Robert T. Ritchie, the rector of the cathedral, said of the budget shortfall, which is equivalent to about one-quarter of the cathedral’s annual income.

Source: New York Times July 19, 2020 14:48 UTC