Immersive experience celebrating history of St. Patrick’s Cathedral to open Oct. 1

The history and spiritual legacy of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City will be brought to life through sacred music, light, and storytelling as part of an immersive experience that opens Oct. 1 and runs on select dates through the end of the year.

LUMINISCENCE, an immersive production created for sacred and historic spaces, will use 360-degree projections, an orchestra, a choir, and narration from Jonathan Roumie to tell the cathedral’s story, according to an Aug. 11 release distributed by LUMINISCENCE.

Roumie, known for portraying Jesus in “The Chosen,” will tell the story of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and its place in New York City.

“As a born-and-raised New Yorker, St. Patrick’s Cathedral has always been a hallowed icon of faith, architecture, and New York itself,” Roumie said in the release. “Amidst the noisy grind of the city that refuses to sleep, one can find stillness, beauty, and peace among its graceful Gothic arches.”

Created by storytelling company Lotchi, which is part of global entertainment group Banijay Live, the release said that LUMINISCENCE has taken its combination of music, visual projections, and historical storytelling to churches around the world. Since launching in 2023, the experience has reached more than 2 million visitors across eight countries, the release explained. 

Romain Sarfati, co-founder of Lotchi, said the production was created with an awareness of what St. Patrick’s has meant to generations of New Yorkers.

“Every element of our show, the choir, the orchestra, the projections at the millimeter, is designed with that weight in mind,” Sarfati said. “We’re not adding light to St. Patrick’s. We’re helping it reveal what’s already there.”

In the release, New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks described St. Patrick’s as “America’s Parish Church” and a place that has long drawn New Yorkers together. 

“We are grateful for partners like LUMINISCENCE who share our commitment to caring for this historic space,” he said, “and inviting new generations to encounter it, be uplifted, and give glory to God.”

According to the release, proceeds from the event will support the multi-year restoration of the cathedral’s historic Kilgen pipe organs.