SW News: The Dominican-run Church of St. Joseph in Manhattan's Greenwich Village has New York City's first-ever perpetual Eucharistic adoration chapel.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, had initially conceptualized the chapel because he wanted to create a permanent Eucharistic adoration where there was none. The city that never sleeps needed a chapel that never closes.
The altar in the chapel is prominently displayed with the Latin words ‘Mysterium Fidei,’ which means the mystery of faith. The Tabernacle bears a representation of divine mercy.
The Latin phrase "Fortis Est Ut Mors Dilectio" and its English equivalent, "Love is Strong as Death," from Song of Songs chapter 8 are written on the wall above the altar.  It took two years to raise the $850,000 needed for the entire project.
On July 30, Cardinal Dolan led a Eucharistic procession to the chapel and blessed it. About 500 individuals attended the Mass.
Father Boniface Endorf, OP, pastor of the Church of St. Joseph, said in an interview with Aleteia that people at any time can come and spend time with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The prelate said only those with key cards, which are available for registration at the parish during business hours, will be allowed admission to the chapel. He said it serves as a means of protecting the safety of those who enter the chapel. He expressed his strong belief that the chapel's spiritual benefits will be "huge."
The Eucharist is on display in a unique container called a monstrance in chapels dedicated to perpetual Eucharistic adoration. As their name implies, the chapels are typically open 24/7, 365 days a year. The chapel was once a 540-square-foot room in the structure next to the church that was utilized as a storage area. A traditional rood screen made of carved wood was intended to separate the room from the seating area in architect Zeke Balan's plans. A mosaic of Christ in the design of the Polish Divine Mercy icon adorns the stone altar that is inscribed with the Latin phrase Mysterium Fidei. Dominican Friars use the chapel’s sanctuary for their common prayer.