Amid the Church abuse allegations, we set out to understand how Catholics in New York City have grappled with their faith, and, in doing so, offer a window into Catholicism in one of the world's most diverse cities, where 1 in 3 residents are Catholic:

.@marianaa_alfaro and I hit all 5 boroughs and asked readers to chime in. W/ @mlouttit @traceytully & @jefurticella we honed in on 10 stories with distinct points of view that were emblematic of the city's diversity. @AFergusonPhoto magically brought them to live with his lens:

Daniel Dougherty, 58, walked away from the Church two years ago at the behest of his younger brother, Shaun Dougherty, who was sexually abused by a priest as a child.

“Shaun said, ‘You’re helping them fight me. You’re helping them raise money by collecting at church.'"

For a time, Raya Abat, 27, left the Catholic Church, but she has since come to peace with her identity as a Catholic.

"If anything, it makes it more urgent for me to stay, not to abandon this church and the people who are in it because we need to heal together."

Theresa Schliep, a senior at Fordham University, wrestles with whether to still identify as a Catholic.

"Saying that I’m not a Catholic is a huge statement. The fact that I was raised something, and I’m deciding whether or not I am still that thing.”