The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception has collected and donated nearly half a million dollars to assist the restoration and rebuilding efforts of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris which was extensively damaged in a fire two years ago.
The donation was made Sept. 16 during a Mass celebrated by Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory in the National Shrine’s Crypt Church. He called the gift to “our sisters and brothers in France” for the cathedral’s repair “an expression of our deep affection and support as they continue the restoration of Notre Dame de Paris.”
“Our local response (to the blaze) in the United States of America was to join millions of people in pledging to help to restore this world treasure,” Cardinal Gregory said.
Cardinal Gregory, who as archbishop of Washington is chairman of the National Shrine’s Board of Trustees, was the principal celebrant of the Mass. Concelebrants included Msgr. Patrick Chauvet, archpriest and rector of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral; Msgr. Walter Rossi, rector of the National Shrine; and Msgr. Vito Buonanno, the National Shrine’s director of pilgrimages.
Noting that Notre Dame de Paris “has welcomed countless millions of people for centuries – some have actually been saints while others were great sinners,” Cardinal Gregory said, “may our gift assist the people of Paris in restoring a place of prayer and beauty for those who visit that world-famous shrine in the centuries that will follow.”
The Mass at the National Shrine was televised on EWTN, Catholic TV, Salt+Light TV, and livestreamed over various Internet platforms. Among those attending the Mass were Phillip Etienne, France’s ambassador to the United States; Michael Picaud, president of the Friends of Notre Dame de Paris, the organization raising funds for the cathedral’s restoration; and parishioners from St. Louis of France Parish, the French-speaking parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
During the Mass, prayers were offered for the benefactors and donors to the cathedral restoration effort. At the end of the Mass, Msgr. Rossi and Cardinal Gregory presented a $465,000 check to Msgr. Chauvet. The money, Msgr. Rossi said, was raised “thanks to the great generosity of people throughout the United States and beyond.”
“On Monday of Holy Week 2019, fire ravaged Notre Dame and caused significant damage to this venerable cathedral,” Msgr. Rossi explained prior to presenting the check. “That very day the National Shrine began a campaign to help restore the cathedral, which was then supported by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and dioceses throughout the United States.”
The fundraising effort at the National Shrine to restore Notre Dame began less than two weeks after the fire when more than 2,000 people attended an organ concert at the National Shrine. The concert was performed by Johann Vexo, a Notre Dame organist who was playing at the cathedral at the time the fire broke out there. The National Shrine also created a special online collection to raise funds in support of the restoration effort.
Msgr. Chauvet, speaking in French, said he was “particularly touched” by the donation that “will be of great help to Notre Dame.”
Noting the difficulties in traveling during this time of COVID, he said “nothing will separate us from our American friends because love is stronger than the pandemic.”
“I would like to thank all of the faithful here because we see the generosity of the American people,” Msgr. Chauvet said speaking through a translator. “After this fire, Notre Dame is no longer Notre Dame de Paris, but Notre Dame of the World.”
The 850-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was severely damaged in the April 15, 2019 fire. More than 400 firefighters spent more than 15 hours to extinguish the blaze. Destroyed by the fire were the cathedral’s main roof, steeple, statues of saints, choir loft, and nave. There was also extensive smoke and water damage to many of the priceless works of art there.
Firefighters were able to save the cathedral’s famous 13th century stained glass rose windows; relics believed to be Jesus’s crown of thorns, one of the nails that crucified Him, and a piece of wood from His cross; other important artworks and treasures; and the cathedral’s great organ. That organ, the largest in France, has 8,000 pipes and five keyboards. It was built in the 15th century and restored in the 18th century.
A five-month investigation into the cause of the blaze was inconclusive. Investigators have theorized that the fire was started either by a workman’s cigarette or an electrical short circuit. It has been estimated that it will take more than a decade and cost more than $1 billion to completely restore the historic cathedral.
“When the iconic Notre Dame sanctuary suffered serious fire damage in 2019, the hearts of people throughout the world were shaken,” Cardinal Gregory said. “People throughout the world all wanted to make sure that this house of welcome and prayer would be available for generations to come so that they could find and embrace the Christ in that place of hospitality and welcome.”
He added that the donation made by the National Shrine to Notre Dame de Paris would ensure that future generations will be able to continue to “come to that blessed place seeking and welcoming none other than Jesus Himself in a shrine that existed under the privileged title of His own Blessed Mother.”
