U.S. churches to ring bells for reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 2, 2024 / 16:15 pm (CNA).

As the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris prepares to reopen on Dec. 7, U.S. bishops are calling on local American churches to show their solidarity with the Church’s “eldest daughter.” 

Five years ago, a devastating fire broke out across the timber roof and 315-foot-tall oak spire of the beloved 12th-century French cathedral. Restoration to the structure began with a two-year cleaning process followed by a $760 million reconstruction project.

In a social media post, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) wrote that as the cathedral reopens its doors, “local churches in the U.S. are invited to peal their bells in a gesture of unity.” 

“This gesture of uniting our local Churches with the cathedral of Paris would be one more sign of our union to the eldest daughter of the Church whose forefathers contributed so much to the U.S. struggle for independence,” USCCB President Archbishop Timothy Broglio stated in the post. 

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., is also encouraging local churches to accept the bishops’ invitation and will ring its bells at 2 p.m. ET on Dec. 7, according to the USCCB. 

Notre Dame Cathedral will open its doors to the public on Dec. 7, beginning with a triduum that will include the official inauguration of the cathedral by the French state, which owns and maintains most of the country’s cathedrals as historic sites. The Notre Dame altar will be consecrated on Dec. 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, during the first Mass in the restored cathedral.

Photo and video images have been circulating across social media and various news outlets from French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Notre Dame on Friday, giving the world a first glimpse into the cathedral’s interior since a fire broke out across its roof and spire in April 2019. 

Last month, the bells of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris also rang out for the first time since the fire.