The Leo House in New York City was founded in 1889 by Peter Paul Cahensly, a German businessman who wanted to ensure that his fellow immigrants – the vast majority of whom were Catholic– found a safe and welcoming haven upon their arrival in this strange land. It was named after Pope Leo XIII who personally donated the then astronomical sum of $50,000 towards the project, which he later blessed.
The experience of arriving in a new country with a new language could be dangerous and daunting, with reports of German immigrants being robbed upon arrival. Cahensly sought a means to keep them safe in a faith-filled setting.
On December 7, 1889, Bishop Winand M Wigger of Newark formally opened the Leo House, making Cahensly’s idea come true. The German-speaking Sisters of St Agnes stepped up to the challenge of managing the house on a daily basis, and it quickly flourished as a safe place for all travellers, not just Germans, in the city. In 1926, it moved to its current home in Chelsea to accommodate more guests.
The house has a proud history of hospitality founded on Catholic principles, offering discounted rates to those visiting the sick and elderly at local hospitals and providing free accommodation to first responders during the September 11 terrorist attacks.
It offers guests the opportunity to make their stay in a bustling metropolis something of a retreat. The chapel is kept open, Mass is said in the morning and the Rosary is recited in the afternoon.
Today, the hotel prides itself on what it calls “the four C’s”: clean, comfortable, cost-effective and Catholic. It is particularly renowned for its buffet breakfast with homemade past-ries cooked on-site. One TripAdvisor review advises would-be travellers to “think homemade scones and lemon bread, not pre-packaged doughnuts” and another describes it as “the best part of a great stay”.
Not forgetting its German roots, each year the staff and representatives of the Leo House take part in the September German-American Steuben Parade, followed by a traditional German meal shared together.
The hotel is now located at 332 West 23rd Street – an arterial street in the heart of Chelsea – and ideally situated in the midst of a village mecca famous for its art galleries, restaurants and home to both the Whitney Museum and the High Line. It may seem an improbable location in the midst of one of the culturally edgy areas in New York, including film festivals and off-Broadway productions, but it works as a unique Catholic oasis in the city that never sleeps. Through public transport, the hotel is easily connected to everywhere the visitor to New York may want to be either by subway or bus.
Catholics looking for spiritual calm in New York will find the Leo House, a non-profit affiliated with the Archdiocese of New York, a true value proposition, one that can accommodate families as well as single visitors in clean comfortable rooms, most of which have ensuite bathrooms. It takes pride in its history of warm Catholic hospitality and offers discounted rates for the clergy, military and first responders, as well as those staying in New York to receive medical treatment.
There is a small chapel where Mass is celebrated nearly every day by its resident chaplain. Outside the chapel is a spectacular stained glass window from the Louis Tiffany era.
On top of all this, the Leo House can make the claim of being used by a saint. Recommended by a taxi driver who picked her up from the airport, St Teresa of Calcutta stayed in Room 409 when she arrived in New York with another sister in the 1960s.
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