1) The Cathedral is an absolute jewel. I’ve been there dozens of times over the years for the opening TLM of the Chartres Pilgrimage, and I can tell you they have done a magnificent job. It is as it was five hundred years ago. The table altar is temporary, and I pay it no mind because it can be so easily removed when sanity is restored. Don’t be fooled by the interior light and the color of the vaults and ceiling. That’s the way it was, and they used the same cleaning and restoration process on the Chartres cathedral. I was very used to the Medieval gloom, too. But this is vintage and authentic. Praise God, Notre Dame is back in all her glory!
2) I’m not a Novus Ordo guy, so it’s been a long time, but I would say they tried to do it with as much devotion as it will bear. No altar girls. No liturgical dancing. No guitars or zippy zithers. Mixed bag vestments.
3) The choir was out of this world. The Ordinary was sung in Latin, as was the Pater Noter. I was surprised, but happily so.
4) The relics — the bane of our dialogue partners’ existence — were treated with the utmost ceremonial resect as they were solemnly placed inside the altar.
5) Distribution of Communion was reverent and done by priests and bishops only. Mostly in the hand, of course, but some knelt to receive on the tongue, and there was no sign of disapproval. Communion in the hand is jarring to see, but if it is possible to do it respectfully, this was it.
6) To his credit, President Macron did not receive Holy Communion, although his wife did. Macron stood alone and at attention but did not approach.
7) They sang the Alma Redemptoris Mater and turned in the direction of the restored “Our Lady of the Pillar”. The archbishop intoned it, it was sung in Latin, and was the for me the highlight.
8) No idea why Cardinal Dolan was given such a prestigious place at the Mass, though I suspect it may have something to do with Trump’s victory, Macron’s collapse, and a move toward some new American/French reproachment.
Overall, it could have been worse. And I remain convinced that Notre Dame rising out of the ashes and restored to her former glory is a sign of hope for us all. The Church will rise again. She will be handed back over to those who are fully Catholic one day…it’s just a matter of time.
Je vous salue Marie. Happy Feast Day.
