⛪️ Pastor’s Desk ~ December 8, 2024

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

On April 15, 2019, a fire broke out in the attic space of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-Paris. Within fifteen hours, catastrophic damage had been done to the best-known historical monument in France, and a nearly millennium-old glory of Christian Europe. The hearts of Catholics (and many others) sank the world over as we watched substantial parts of the cathedral collapse into a fiery pit. My first thought was arson or terrorism, but it seems to have been a worker’s carelessly discarded cigarette, or an electrical short. Nothing is known for sure.

Christmas Mass was not celebrated there in 2019 for the first time since 1803.  The grace note of Advent 2024 is that on December 7, the repaired and restored cathedral will be open once again to the world. (Originally, experts thought the work would take 10-40 years.) Though the cathedrals of France are the property of the State, over $1.4 billion from over 320,000 private donors has been collected. One of the biggest donations ($220m) came from L’Oreal, the world’s largest cosmetics firm, now donating to beautify France herself.

Outside of France, it was not widely known that even before the fire, the cathedral was undergoing major renovations. The famous spire, replaced most recently in the mid-1800s, had been full of dry rot due to leaks in the lead cladding. The roof timbers, which held up a roof made of 400 metric tons of lead, were dry and powdery. In 2016, the French Ministry of Culture estimated that repairs even before the fire would cost upward of $200 million. For years, conditions were so hazardous that the cathedral was under near-continuous fire watch. The Paris Fire Brigade performed regular fire drills. A firefighter was on premises daily to watch for fire, and fire wardens inspected the attic three times every day to check for fire hazards. There was no modern fire detection system to alert the fire brigades directly.

When the fateful moment came, they were as ready as it was humanly possible to be. Over 400 firefighters engaged the blaze, but did so largely from the inside the cathedral, so as to minimize damage to the edifice, but at much greater risk to their own lives. Smaller groups of heroes entered the flaming towers, not knowing if they would return. Traditional methods like water cannons and helicopters were not be used for fear of updrafts and causing the weakened stone walls to collapse. Stone, when doused with water at high temperatures, can crack or explode. Firefighters were also in danger of being showered with molten lead from the roof.

No less miraculous were the human chains of people who carried away precious items and works of art for preservation, including a relic of the True Cross and of the Crown of Thorns. The eight cathedral bells, in imminent danger of collapse, stayed in place and were saved. The main altar and three organs remained relatively undamaged. Many artifacts had already been removed as part of the previously planned renovations; they are priceless and thus uninsurable. Sixteen statues of the Apostles and others, were removed from the roof only four days before the fire.

In a world too often darkened by sadness, and where beauty seems to survive only where its enemies fail to notice and stamp it out, it is worthwhile to reflect for an Advent moment on enduring things capable of elevating the human spirit.

Advent blessings, Fr. Bill Donahue