Chilling rain and the “City of Lights” completely locked down due to high profile guests did not stop the crowds from arriving as close to Notre Dame Cathedral as possible for its inaugural Mass celebrated Dec. 8. The beloved Paris icon also opened its doors to the public for the first time after the devastating fire in 2019, with the second Mass that Sunday for Parisians and tourists.
By Caroline de Sury PARIS (OSV) — The solemn reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral put Paris in the center of the Catholic world on the evening of Dec. 7 as the archbishop of France’s capital struck the magnificent door with his pastoral staff, marking the moment of the iconic Catholic church’s rebirth. The Gothic masterpiece […]
The 16th century French King Francois I once said that “Paris isn’t a city, it’s a world,” and so is the rich Catholic culture visible in its people and places. With the reopening of the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral on Dec. 7-8, here are the names of Parisian saints to accompany Catholics both at home and during any travels they may take to the City of Light
After hosting the summer Olympics earlier this year, France this weekend will mark one of the most significant events of the century with the reopening of its famed Cathedral of Notre Dame, five years after vast portions were destroyed in a fire.
As the whole world awaits the reopening of Notre Dame, for those present inside the cathedral for the “grand réouverture,” it will be even more of a special moment.
Pilgrims passing through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica during the Holy Year 2025, going to confession, receiving Communion and praying for the intentions of the pope can receive an indulgence, but so can inmates in prison and those who work to defend human life or assist migrants and refugees.
The world was left stunned when the first images of the rebuilt Notre Dame were published and spread with viral speed as President Emmanuel Macron walked through the bright, unrecognizably beautiful Parisian cathedral on Nov. 29, a week ahead of the Dec. 7-8 official reopening.
President-elect Donald Trump will attend the upcoming reopening ceremony for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, he said Dec. 2. The trip will mark his first foreign trip since his election to a second term.
With the opening of the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis’ schedule of liturgies in December and January has expanded.
The devastating images — whether viewed from the banks of the Seine River in Paris or on millions of glowing screens around the world — stunned onlookers. Many wept, clutching tissues to smoke- and sorrow-reddened eyes, others prayed aloud or in silence, some even sung hymns.
