Catholic images and crucifixes fill the walls in Times Square Tattoo. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Tommy Houlihan
CNA Staff, Jul 21, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
In the heart of New York City, nestled among the tall buildings of Times Square, sits a small tattoo shop with two 17-inch signs of the Miraculous Medal hanging outside the front door. Inside, walls of rosaries, crucifixes, and religious images greet visitors, while an old church pew serves as a place to sit and wait. A glass jar filled with blessed Miraculous Medals sits on the front desk.
The tattoo parlor, Times Square Tattoo, is more than a tattoo parlor, according to owner Tommy Houlihan, who has a deep devotion to the Miraculous Medal and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The 55-year-old told CNA that he views his shop as a "ministry for the Miraculous Medal."
Houlihan has been a tattoo artist since 1990. He grew up in a Catholic household in Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood on the west side of midtown Manhattan, and by the age of 18 began his career in body art.
In the early years of his tattoo career, Houlihan shared that he was making a lot of money — he wore expensive jewelry and tailored clothes, went to steakhouses every night, and "lived like a rock star."
"That's all gone now," he said. "It's all gone because I went and really cracked down on my faith."
About five years ago, Houlihan returned to the Catholic faith. A big factor was the powerful testimony of Zachary King, a former Satanist who had a powerful conversion to Catholicism after an encounter with the Miraculous Medal, a sacramental based on the vision of a French nun in 1830. St. Catherine Labouré, a young sister at the time, was instructed in an apparition of the Virgin Mary to have a special medal cast. Originally called the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, it became better known as the "Miraculous Medal."
After hearing King's testimony, Houlihan began digging deeper into his faith and praying about what he should do with his tattoo shop. He also spoke to several priests, some of whom were exorcists, about his struggle of wanting to keep his tattoo shop open but also honoring his faith.
In one of his conversations, Houlihan told the priest about the kinds of places around his shop — a Wiccan coven to his right, a Masonic temple to his left, and a church of Scientology across the street — describing it as being "in a den of vipers." The priest told Houlihan that he was the "antivenom." This response moved Houlihan to hand his shop over to the Blessed Mother.
"I work almost exclusively on tourists from all over the world," Houlihan explained. "And every single person that comes in my shop gets a medal when they first walk in. And then they fly back to France, Germany, Argentina, Canada, wherever they're going back to, so that makes us a worldwide ministry."
Houlihan has implemented strict guidelines for the type of work he and his employees do.
Some of the images that Houlihan's shop declines to do include Satanic symbols, zodiac signs, anything related to witchcraft or sorcery (including shows like "Wicked" or "Harry Potter"), anything that desecrates a sacred image, anything related to the LGBT "pride" movement, and other things. He says he will also not tattoo on places on the body that are primarily meant to sexualize the individual.
"I cannot attach myself to anything in the occult and I can't put that image on you. One day I got to answer for that," he said.
Despite turning down many requests and handing out Miraculous Medals to those who are religious or not, Houlihan pointed out that "almost everybody gives a positive reaction."
"I think 60% of the people react really favorably; I'd say maybe 30% are indifferent. But I do get some that don't want it or people [who] are outright hostile to it," he said.
When asked how his guidelines have impacted the business, Houlihan said: "I definitely took a hit, but the Blessed Mother's making sure that I make enough money to get by."
Seeing his tattoo shop as a ministry, Houlihan said he hopes those he encounters experience a change in their lives and in their faith.
"I hope they have an instant conversion," he shared. "And if they're a bad Catholic, [that] they become a good Catholic, and if they're a good Catholic, [that] they become a great Catholic."
He added that not only has his shop helped to keep his own faith "in line," but it has also given him a way to evangelize and to "give the word of God" to all those who visit.
