A special portrait of Venerable Pierre Toussaint has been placed on permanent display inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral, situated for now by the cathedral’s altar of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.   

The Toussaint portrait by prominent artist Hunt Slonem was unveiled on Nov. 6 during the Archdiocese of New York’s annual Pierre Toussaint Scholarship Fund Awards Dinner in Manhattan. Slonem donated the portrait, which was blessed by Cardinal Timothy Dolan on December 3 after a Sunday morning Mass at the cathedral.             

The Importance of the Image 

“I feel a very strong connection (to Toussaint), and I’m very thrilled to see the painting at St. Patrick’s,” Slonem said in a December 21 phone interview with The Good Newsroom. “It’s not me doing it, you know – it’s just God’s will that I was blessed to be asked to do it. Anyway, it’s a little different than everything else.”                                  

Slonem added, “His (Toussaint) is quite an amazing story. He had an extremely powerful role in the Church, and I love painting saints.” He noted that he hopes the Toussaint portrait will lead many people to learn more about Venerable Pierre Toussaint (as he did during the project), and about the cause for Toussaint’s sainthood.     

Brother Tyrone Davis, CFC, executive director of the New York archdiocesan Office of Black Ministry, said gratefully, “That’s an important fact, that there is now an image of a black man in the cathedral. I think it’s one thing about the importance of the remains being there. But we also recognize that few people are able to go down to the crypt; and even if they are, they don’t see him. Therefore, the ability to see Pierre Toussaint in such a famous cathedral, I think, says volumes.”

Father Enrique Salvo, rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, citing Toussaint’s highly important role in the Catholic Church in New York, said, “The cathedral has the blessing to have the Venerable Pierre Toussaint buried in the cathedral. His cause is open for canonization…The Church at large has always used art to inspire people.”      

As for Slonem and his portrait of Toussaint, the grateful priest said, “(Slonem) attends daily Mass at the cathedral. So having this great Catholic artist as part of our community – it was like it was meant to be, for him to do this. I asked him if he’d be willing to paint a portrait of Pierre Toussaint. He did so in a very beautiful way and donated the portrait to the cathedral.”  

About the Artist 

Slonem, 72, born in Kittery, Maine, is a painter, sculptor and printmaker. He is best known for his neo-expressionist paintings of butterflies, bunnies, and his tropical birds, often based on a personal aviary. Slonem’s works are included in many museum collections worldwide; he exhibits his works regularly at public and private venues, and he has received many awards.        

Slonem, who is well-traveled, lives in Manhattan; St. Patrick’s Cathedral is his home parish. He grew up the eldest of four children; his father was a Navy officer, his mother a homemaker who spent much of her time doing volunteer work.      

About Venerable Pierre Toussaint    

Venerable Pierre Toussaint (1766-1853) was born a slave in Haiti and died a freeman in New York City. He was a hairdresser and is credited by many with being the father of Catholic Charities in New York. Toussaint was instrumental in raising funds for the first Catholic orphanage and began the city’s first school for black children.      

He also helped to provide funds for the Oblate Sisters of Providence, a religious community of black nuns founded in Baltimore, and he played a vital role in providing financial resources for the construction of the Basilica of Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Lower Manhattan.   

Toussaint’s remains were moved from the North Cemetery of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral to the crypt below the main altar of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in the late 20th century. He is the first layperson to be buried in this special place normally reserved for bishops of the Archdiocese of New York.