Since the fire of Notre-Dame, an annual pilgrimage has been born!

On Monday of Holy Week (2022), 3 years after the fire of Notre-Dame Cathedral, on a beautiful sunny day, a few hundred pilgrims met outside the church of Saint Etienne-du-Mont in Paris. They greeted each other, happy to see that Our Lady could still attract a small crowd at 7pm on a Monday night in Paris! The bells rang, the parish priest of Saint Etienne-du-Mont blessed the procession and reminded them of the meaning of this place of departure, in front of the church which houses the relics of Saint Genevieve, the patroness of Paris.

The procession started, with the statue of Our Lady of France in the lead and Saint Joseph of la Marche at the rear. From the Sainte-Genevieve mountain to the Saint-Louis island, the walking crowd of pilgrims sang with their whole heart. Now in the square in front of Notre-Dame, the Olé Chœur choir joyfully welcomed the arrival of the procession with more songs. Monsignor Chauvet, Rector of Notre Dame de Paris, welcomed the pilgrims. Readers read beautiful texts by Paul Claudel and Charles Péguy, two famous Catholic authors, paying tribute to Notre Dame.

The emotion was palpable. The last notes of "God alone suffices" soared over the Seine when Bishop Bruguès took the stage for a homily. As the day wore on, the Lefèvre family sang a sublime Ave Maria.

The Rosary immersed the participants in the mysteries of God, then, at 10:00 pm, by the light of a dozen torches, preceded by a few seminarians in white albs, a priest came forward with Jesus in the Eucharist and placed Him gently in the monstrance on the altar. A time of silent Adoration held everyone's attention. A few days before the Passion, we want to choose Christ as the foundation of our lives. He, the precious stone, rejected by men.

A few songs, a piece by Bach played on the flute, was followed by a long time of silent prayer, during which a few priests heard confessions. Each pilgrim formed a living stone, in the sight of all, bearing witness that Notre-Dame is more than the sum of its stones!

Yes, we want to continue rebuilding the Church and we ask Mary, in the shadow of this cathedral, before her statue on the pillar, for the strength to stand at the foot of the cross; for a greater desire to contemplate the Lord and for the will to offer our lives to be witnesses of his gifts. This was the intention of the pilgrims who came to unite their voices and their prayers on that day before Our Lady, Mother of the Church!

N.T.O.