 Following controversy regarding the museum's status as a charity and its collection of funds, the archdiocese sought unsuccessfully to have the word "Catholic" removed from the museum's name.The museum's collection aims to cover the many facets of Catholic art, although in 2003 Joseph Berger wrote that it lacked a unifying theme, relying instead on donated works.The museum's original location was in the Olympic Towers on Fifth Avenue, near St. Patrick's Cathedral, a location that allowed the museum to take advantage of Christmas celebrations in the neighborhood.