image for illustration: by Ali Sabbagh – Notre Dame De Paris, CC0, Ali Sabbagh, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The reopening of Notre-Dame will extend from December 7-8, 2024, and after, including the Octave of Reopening (8 to 15 December) and on to June 8, 2025, coinciding with the Feast of Pentecost.
Notre-Dame writes:
The reopening ceremonies will begin on December 7 and 8, 2024, followed by an octave of events until December 15, including two concerts of Jean-Sébastien Bach’s Magnificat on December 17 and 18. Weekly concerts on Tuesdays and numerous events will continue until Pentecost in June 2025, offering an opportunity for many to rediscover Notre-Dame.
December 7
The reopening service, presided over by the Archbishop of Paris, will take place late in the afternoon, in the presence of the President of the Republic, officials, donors, representatives of all the parishes of Paris, members of the cathedral chapter, and the Parisian clergy.
During the rite of the opening of the doors, the Archbishop will strike the closed door of Notre-Dame with his staff. The cathedral will ‘respond’ with the singing of Psalm 121, three times. The cathedral, which had been silent, will once again resonate with the song of praise, and on the third time, the doors will open.
How joyful it was when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’
Now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
Jerusalem, built as a city, that is bound firmly together.
– Psalm 121
Following the initial door-opening rite, the service will unfold in three parts:
- Awakening the Great Organ: After beginning the service with the sign of the cross, the Archbishop will bless the instrument. He will address the great organ eight times, and the organ will respond each time.
- Chanting the Office: The office will consist of a hymn, a psalm, the Magnificat, prayers for the world, and the Lord’s Prayer.
- Final Blessing: The Archbishop will give the final blessing, followed by the singing of the Te Deum.
This entire service will be accompanied by the choirs of the Notre-Dame de Paris Choir School. Olivier Latry, Vincent Dubois, Thierry Escaich, and Thibault Fajoles will play the great organ, while Yves Castagnet will accompany from the cathedral’s choir using a temporary organ (until the choir organ is restored).
The service will be followed by a broadcast produced by France TV, airing globally from the cathedral’s forecourt, aimed at sharing the joy of the reopening with as many people as possible and thanking those who made it possible.
December 8
The inaugural Mass, with the consecration of the high altar, will take place on Sunday, December 8, at 10:30 AM, presided over by the Archbishop of Paris, with the President of the Republic also in attendance.
At the invitation of Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, nearly 170 bishops from France and around the world will participate in the celebration, along with one priest from each of the 106 parishes in the Diocese of Paris, and one priest from each of the seven Eastern Catholic Churches, accompanied by faithful from these communities.
The consecration of the altar will be carried out in five steps. First, the relics of five saints will be placed and sealed in the altar. These relics, belonging to three women and two men who marked the history of the Church in Paris, include those of Saint Marie Eugénie Milleret, Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, Saint Catherine Labouré, Saint Charles de Foucauld, and Blessed Vladimir Ghika. The prayer of dedication will then be recited, followed by the anointing with oil, the central moment of the consecration. This will be followed by the offering of incense, before the altar is adorned and illuminated.
This Mass will be followed by a fraternal buffet to welcome the most disadvantaged and those who support them daily through charitable organizations in the Diocese of Paris.
December 8-15: The Octave of Reopening
The consecration Mass marks the beginning of an octave—eight days of reopening—inviting the faithful of Paris in their great diversity, along with many individuals who helped make the reopening of Notre-Dame possible, to join the services presided over by the Archbishop at 10:30 AM.
Practical details for visitors and faithful (visits, Masses) during this octave of reopening are available here.
