Notre Dame de Paris reopens: altar consecrated and first Mass celebrated

The Archbishop of Paris (France), Bishop Laurent Ulrich, presided this December 8, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, at the first Mass in which the altar of the restored Cathedral of the City of Light was consecrated, after the fire that occurred in April of 2019.

At the Eucharist, in which the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, was present, some 170 bishops from the country and from different parts of the world concelebrated with Bishop Ulrich; one priest from each of the 106 parishes of the archdiocese of Paris, and one priest from each of the seven Eastern Rite Catholic churches.

They all used chasubles that were designed by Jean-Charles Castelbajac, the 74-year-old Frenchman who was entrusted with this task, and who has dressed entertainment figures such as Madonna, Beyoncé and Rihanna.

One of the bishops who arrived from New York was its archbishop, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was also at the opening ceremony yesterday.

Before the image of Our Lady of Paris, the cardinal said he was grateful for participating in the first Mass in the cathedral and highlighted the generosity of many in the United States who helped in the restoration of the emblematic temple.

Before proceeding with the consecration of the altar, the relics of five saints were placed on it, three women and two men, “whose history is linked to the Church of Paris: Saint Mary Eugenie Milleret, Saint Madeleine Sophia Barat, Saint Catherine Labouré, Saint Charles de Foucauld and Blessed Vladimir Ghika”, indicates the website of the archdiocese.

Afterwards, the Parisian prelate prayed the prayer of consecration and anointed the entire altar with chrism (oil), which he spread with his hands as the ritual provides, and then lit the incense and proceeded to decorate and illuminate the altar.

“This morning, the sentence of April 15, 2019 has ended”

Thus the Archbishop of Paris began his homilyspecifying that “in a certain way, and although the shock from the fire may have been lasting, the pain was already overcome when the prayer rose from the docks of the Seine (river) and from hundreds of millions of hearts around the world.”

After highlighting that the altar is where “Christ’s sacrifice takes place, the place where he gives his life for all,” Bishop Ulrich highlighted that “the material chosen by the artist, bronze, enters into open dialogue with the stone building.” .

“And this block of the altar, as if raised from the earth for sacrifice, is prepared as a fraternal table for the Lord’s Supper,” he stressed.

The prelate then encouraged all the faithful present to not only “be dazzled by the rediscovered beauty of the stones, but to allow themselves to be guided to the greatest joys, to the most beautiful gift that God gives them and gives us of his loving presence, of its closeness to the poorest, its transformative power in the sacraments.”