Vestments for restored Notre-Dame

The restoration and reopening of Notre-Dame in Paris was perhaps unthinkable to those who watched the great cathedral burn on April 15, 2019. What has been as beautiful as seeing the cleaned and restored cathedral is the fact that the general public clearly preferred making Notre-Dame look exactly as she was.

However, as we have seen before, bishops from the left just can't let beauty stand on its own without doing something to destroy it. While the secular government of France heard the will of the people and heeded their desire for a traditional restoration of Notre-Dame, the archbishop of Paris first fought to redesign the interior to create a museum instead of side altars and confessionals, then hired a furniture maker to design a hideous table-altar, lectern, tabernacle and baptismal font. He just could not let Notre-Dame look like a traditional cathedral without something from the Vatican II era inserted to ruin the day. Next up is a contest to replace stained glass windows with modernist designs.

This past weekend, though, we got to witness how the archbishop of Paris spent an undisclosed amount of money on ghastly new vestments. Not just a few -- but thousands of them. In fact, the archdiocese's website originally announced they hired the modern designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac to produce "700 liturgical garments" for the cathedral's reopening.

“Death Comes for the Cathedrals”: Proust's Masterful Essay Now Published as a Deluxe Hardcover

In keeping with recent news about Notre Dame Cathedral, it's worth mentioning a beautiful new title just released by the Catholic publisher Wiseblood Books: Death Comes for the Cathedrals.

The heart of this book is a translation of Marcel Proust's influential 1904 essay in Le Figaro that brilliantly argued, from a cultural and philosophical viewpoint, against the total secularization of churches in France, and led to less extreme measures being taken by the French anticlerical government. This eloquent translation by John Pepino made its first appearance here at Rorate Caeli on January 13, 2015.

“A New Threat Looms over Notre Dame de Paris: What the Fire Spared, the Diocese Wants to Destroy”: Manifesto Signed by 105 French Cultural Figures

The following manifesto appeared at La Tribune de l'Art and in the web and print editions of Le Figaro on December 7, in response to revelations that the archdiocese of Paris was pushing for a totally modernized, multi-media, Disney-like renovation of the interior of Notre Dame Cathedral.

On April 15, 2019, the world discovered, stunned and shocked, images of Notre-Dame on fire. While the rubble was still smoking, millions of people, of all nationalities, spontaneously mobilized to collect the money needed to restore the monument. Nearly one billion euros were raised. These donations were declarations of love for Notre-Dame Cathedral. They testified to our confidence in our ability to revive this sublime artistic and spiritual patrimony.

IMPORTANT: Traditional Priests in Paris arrested for not having masked servants in sanctuary during Easter Vigil - The French Republic persecutes Catholics once more (Updated)

Update: after many hours of detention by the Police, the priests were set free. But they can still undergo a full criminal procedure, depending on what the courts decide.

The parish of St-Eugène-Ste-Cécile is the greatest jewel of the Paris archdiocese. There are churches that are grander, more historic, more beautiful than this building, a wrought-iron lattice marvel from the industrial age and an example that 19th-century architecture could build beautiful churches in record time.

But it is the greatest jewel not because of the building, but because of what goes on inside it: for decades now, it has been the most lively parish* in the city, due to its promotion of the Traditional Latin Mass. Its group of musicians, the Schola Sainte-Cécile, is responsible for some of the best sacred Music in Europe today. The parish celebrations can be seen freely at their Youtube channel.

Last Saturday evening, on the celebration of the Easter Vigil, the parish once again put on the most dignified liturgy possible. It was also an occasion of additional joy due to the adults baptized into the faith in this most solemn of all Vigils.

Alas, the anonymous brother of one of the newly baptized was "horrified" with what he saw. Some kind of sacrilege? Blasphemy? No, there was nothing against the Catholic faith, but there was what he thought were sins against the Covidist faith: the priest and his servers in the sanctuary were maskless. And, worse, people who went to take Communion received it maskless and, l'horreur, on the tongue!...

Those anti-Catholic "accusations" were published by the daily Le Parisien, and then led to two procedures against the pastor of the church, Father Marc Guelfucci, and one of his vicars, Father Gabriel Godziski: one of them criminal (some kind of "crime" against "public health"); and, since honor is not his forte, the archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit (petit both in name and in dignity), decided to open today canonical proceedings against the pastor.

Now, this Thursday, the two priests were placed under "garde à vue" (a kind of administrative, not court-ordered, arrest typical of French law) and are now under arrest.

EVENTS: 1) De Mattei and Lamont in New York 2) De Mattei in DC 3) Annunciation Anniversary Mass at Harvard

Professor Roberto de Mattei, Italian historian and professor, author among others of Il Concilio Vaticano II: una storia mai scritta will visit America in April. Two of his conferences will be in New York and in Washington. (By the way, if you are in or near Paris this Thursday March 13, at 8:15 p.m., Prof. de Mattei will be at a conference hosted by the Centre Saint-Paul of the Institute of the Good Shepherd-IBP, near the Sentier or Bonne Nouvelle Métro stations.)

1) NEW YORK, APRIL 4, 2014. Our longtime friends at the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny will promote a conference with Prof. de Mattei and our frequent contributor Dr. John Lamont  at the Union League Club (38 East 37th Street, New York):

On Friday April 4th at 7:00 p.m. at the Union League Club in New York City, the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny will sponsor a brief conference examining postconciliar Catholicism at the end of the generation of Vatican II, featuring lectures by two outstanding Catholic scholars who are well-known for their courageous defense of traditional theological positions, Prof. Roberto de Mattei and Dr. John Lamont.

Dr. Lamont will begin the evening by addressing the problem of the rule of law in the Catholic Church — an important topic made more poignant today by the systemic failures of the abuse crisis. Prof. de Mattei's conference is on "The End of Vatican II in Historial Perspective."

All are welcome to attend; admission is free of charge. The conference will be preceded by Solemn Vespers in the Traditional Roman rite at 5:30 p.m. at Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Lower Manhattan, only 15 minutes from the Union League Club by subway. For more information and detailed directions see the Society's website:

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2) WASHINGTON, APRIL 9, 2014. The Lepanto Foundation promotes the Conference “The Second Vatican Council: An Unwritten Story” to be held at the Cosmos Club (2121 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008), on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at 6:30 PM. Nearest Metro station is Dupont Circle.

RSVP needed. Further details here.

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3) CAMBRIDGE, Mass., MARCH 25, 2014. Since before their very first Mass, Rorate has been glad to support our friends promoting the Traditional Latin Mass at the Harvard Catholic Center (29 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, Mass.), and now celebrating their third anniversary:

Celebrate with us the third anniversary of the Traditional Latin Mass's return to the Harvard Catholic Center. This March 25 at St. Paul's Church, we have a very special evening planned:

7:00 PM: SOLEMN HIGH MASS for the Feast of the Annunciation, celebrated by Fr. Raymond VandeMoortell

After Mass: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, with a meditation by Fr. Kwang Lee on the Incarnation

9:00 PM: Solemn Benediction

***Confession will be available before Mass and during adoration*** Event Facebook page here.