Herman details anti-Catholic discrimination and St. Mary's original construction
Herman explains the history of anti-Catholic discrimination against Irish immigrants, the 1784 repeal of the priest prohibition, and the 1832 construction of the first purpose-built Catholic church on the Lower East Side with fieldstone facades and Greek Revival design.
Since the colonial period, Irish immigrants to New York faced anti-Catholic discrimination and violence, including a prohibition of Catholic priests that persisted beyond American independence.
The repeal of this law in 1784 cleared the way for the open practice of Catholicism in New York State, with St.
Mary's established in 1826.
In 1832, the parish began construction of the first purpose-built Roman Catholic church on Manhattan's Lower East Side.
The church was built with fieldstone side facades and a monumental Greek Revival primary facade.
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