St. Augustine's Youth Group visits St. Patrick;s Cathedral every year.  This year's trip included a special tour of the crypts.   In the cathedral, below the gold altar are two small copper doors,  providing passage to the cathedral’s crypt, a sanctuary within a sanctuary. The crypt is a rarely seen part of the Cathedral, and the tour was arranged for by Deacon John for our group.  A gold prie-dieu, or kneeling prayer desk, can be seen as well as the marble slabs engraved with with the names of the deceased, The tombs inside the crypt are stacked one atop another, in a sort of marble checkerboard. 

Deacon John Barbera joined Cardinal Dolan in celebrating the Mass, three of our Youth Group members and one of our leaders were asked to bring up the Gifts. A very special and memorable trip to St. Patrick's.