Photographer on mission to capture churches throughout US visits Worcester diocese

By Bill Doyle | CFP Correspondent

Andrew Masi has no hearing in his left ear and 65 percent hearing loss in his right ear after suffering from meningitis as an infant.

Nevertheless, he was still able to hear a calling from God to take photos of every Catholic cathedral, basilica and shrine in the U.S. and share them with others.

“It was a sign from God to do this,” Mr. Masi said. “He gave me a sign to go on this pilgrimage.”

Using his Android cell phone, Mr. Masi, 37, of Trumbull, Connecticut, has taken photos inside and out of 107 of the 192 cathedrals and 61 of the 94 basilicas in the U.S. He’s also photographed 27 of the 72 shrines.

“I didn’t want my disability to stop me from enjoying what I wanted to do the most,” he said, “which was to go out and travel, see new places, meet new people. I wasn’t going to let that stop me.”

Mr. Masi saves what he can from his public relations job in Westport, Connecticut, and he pays his own expenses. People have urged him to fundraise to pay for his travel expenses, but he has decided against it.

Last Sunday, he took photos of St. Paul Cathedral in Worcester and St. Joseph Basilica in Webster. He had taken photos of both in 2014, the year he began his photography mission, but he returned to take higher quality photos with his Android cell phone.

Of St. Paul Cathedral, he said, “It’s beautiful. I love how the stained glass windows really enhance the beauty of the church, especially with the sunlight illuminating them.”

Mr. Masi appreciated that Father Hugo Cano, St. Paul rector, welcomed him and he felt moved by Father Cano’s homily.

Mr. Masi also enjoyed St. Joseph Basilica.

“I’m telling you that church is beautiful,” he said. “One of the great gems in Massachusetts. The Polish people really know how to take care of their churches. They’ve done a spectacular job keeping that basilica beautiful with all the artwork and the stained glass windows.”

Mr. Masi said he’ll return to the Worcester Diocese to shoot photos of St. Andrew Bobola Parish in Dudley after Bishop McManus dedicates it as a shrine on May 11.

Known as The Catholic Photographer on social media, Mr. Masi saves his photos on his flash drive and posts them online. He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr and Linktree.
He has more than 2,500 followers on Instagram and over 200 on Facebook. He’s also working on a photography book.

People have told Mr. Masi they feel as if he’s taking them on a virtual tour of the religious buildings.

“People have messaged me and come up to me and talked to me in person,” he said, “and they say, ‘I love the work you do. You’re doing the work of the Lord in bringing these beautiful pictures to life.’”

Mr. Masi always receives permission from the pastors before taking his photos and they enjoy hosting him. Often, they give him a tour. After he finishes editing his photos, he shares the link to his social media posts with the pastors.

“It deepens my Catholic faith,” Mr. Masi said. “I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing it to share these pictures with the world with people who don’t have the opportunity to see these beautiful churches.”

Attendance at Mass has dropped since the pandemic hit in 2019, but Mr. Masi hopes his photos convince people to return to Mass.

“A lot of churches are either closing or merging,” he said. “I want to give people the opportunity to see these beautiful churches and maybe it will inspire them to come back to church and keep these beautiful churches open and alive for more generations to come.”

While Mr. Masi attended Easter Sunday Mass in 2014, he was impressed with the beauty and architecture of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, N.J. He heard God’s calling to take photos. He had enjoyed taking photos of nature, but these photos hold greater meaning to him.

Mr. Masi began taking photos about three weeks after his grandmother passed away. He was raised Lutheran, but was always intrigued by Catholicism, his grandmother’s religion. He said she taught him to “keep the faith, be strong and continue doing what you love.”

She also told him, “I’ll always be with you. I’m watching over you.”

His father was a church organist who was invited to perform at the Diocese of Bridgeport’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2003. Mr. Masi was captivated by the ceremony and converted to Catholicism in 2005 shortly before his 18th birthday.

Mr. Masi is a parishioner at Our Lady of the Assumption in Fairfield, Connecticut, and he took photos there after the church was renovated following a 2021 fire.

“I feel blessed to be a Catholic,” he said. “As soon as I converted, I never looked back.”
Mr. Masi was born in Colombia and adopted by John and Nina Masi of Easton, Connecticut. A bout with meningitis when he was six months old cost him much of his hearing.

Mr. Masi has taken photos in such states as Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, California, South Carolina and much of New England. He takes most of his photos during the summer when the sun shines brighter through the stained glass windows.

His favorites so far have been the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri, and the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. He compared them to churches in Rome.

He hopes to complete his mission of taking photos in 5-10 years. In May he plans to shoot photos in Indiana and the San Diego area.

“I feel like I was meant to do this, to share my talent with the world in a very unique way,” he said.

Mr. Masi believes his pilgrimage to take photos of beautiful churches fits perfectly with the “Pilgrims of Hope” theme for Jubilee 2025.

“I want to encourage people to do this themselves,” he said, “to go on pilgrimages of their own.”