For a donation, you too can light a virtual candle at St. Patrick's Cathedral

  St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City has a snazzy new website, and for a price, you can light a virtual candle to let someone know you're praying for them.   Says the website:

“I am the Light of the World.”   With every candle that is lit at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, we are reminded of these words of Christ.Each day, visitors from all over the world come to St. Patrick’s Cathedral to light a candle as an act of prayer.

We invite you to participate in our community of faith by lighting a virtual prayer candle online. The contribution that accompanies the virtual prayer candle helps to maintain a safe and holy environment for the millions of people who visit the Cathedral every year.

After filling out the fields below and clicking “Submit,” you will have the opportunity to both share a message on Facebook and email individuals to let them know you remembered them in your prayers.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of New York and the seat of its Archbishop. Built by contributions large and small, it remains emblematic of the ascendance of religious freedom in the New World. As such, this international landmark is a beacon of hope for those who share the Catholic faith and a source of inspiration to the more than five million visitors of every religious denomination welcomed here each year.The Cathedral has been a wellspring of hope and solace in times of peace and plenty and war and sorrow. In a city and nation of immigrants, it has greeted countless waves of peoples seeking freedom. St. Patrick’s Cathedral anchors us all to such basic human virtues as charity, love, decency, strength and justice. While the surrounding urban environment has seen constant change, St. Patrick’s Cathedral has stood strong, overlooking Fifth Avenue, since its dedication in 1879.

No single generation builds a cathedral. The vibrancy of its windows, the beauty of its music and the purpose of its charitable outreach call us to respond to our shared humanity – one in the image and likeness of God, saved by his Son, Jesus Christ, in the family of the Church. The heart of St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the faith, work and generosity of good people bringing God’s presence into the world, inspiring a conversation among the generations.

Back in Manhattan, the fund-raising connection is not too subtle. Technically, it appears you can still make a prayer and light a candle and get an automated thank-you note from the rector without making a donation. But you have to patiently fill in a lot of zeros in the blank places for dollars and credit card info. You can't submit those with the blanks empty.Of course, YOU would never think of lighting a candle in person without making some donation, would you?

Dakota O'Leary

Dakota O'Leary is a freethinker, and often sassy, scholar of theology and literature. She got her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Theology from the State University of New York College at Buffalo, and her Master of Arts degree in Theology and Literature from Antioch University-Midwest. She is a contributing writer focusing on eschatology, biblical prophecy, and general religious news. Dakota is a co-host of the God Discussion radio show, offering insight to the news stories of the week. We like to call her "our in-house Biblical prophecy expert" as her articles on eschatology have received over 200,000 views on God Discussion.

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