Construction workers are seen on scaffolding at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris Dec. 3, 2024, which was ravaged by a fire in 2019, as restoration works continue before its planned reopening ceremonies Dec. 7 and 8. OSV News photo/Stephanie Lecocq, Reuters
BRAINTREE -- Thomas William remembers exactly where he was when Notre Dame de Paris burned.
On April 15, 2019, William, now an altar server at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, was a high school student in his native France. He came home from classes to find his dad glued to the television, seeing the 800-year-old cathedral in flames.
"I was in shock," William told The Pilot on Dec. 3. "It's a symbol for France. I think it's a symbol for not only the Catholics of France, but the Catholics of Europe and even the Catholics of the world."
William had visited Notre Dame as a teenager and was blown away by how medieval engineering was able to produce such a wonder.
"I was amazed," he said. "Being from Europe, I've seen a lot of cathedrals in Europe, and Notre Dame is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've seen."
William came to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. When he told people he was from France, the first thing they asked him was how the restoration of Notre Dame was coming along. He found that Americans were more concerned about the cathedral's fate than some people in France were.
"It's a piece of art, a piece of architecture that speaks to everybody because it's so massive, it's so majestic, it's so well-done," he said.
After a five-year, 700 million euro ($736 million) restoration, Notre Dame Cathedral will reopen in a ceremony on Dec. 7. In a Dec. 3 letter sent to all priests in the Archdiocese of Boston, Archbishop Richard Henning, echoing a national call from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, encouraged all churches to ring their bells at 2 p.m. that day in celebration of the reopening.
"This great cathedral is a wonder of our Catholic heritage and a jewel of faith for the Church of France," Archbishop Henning wrote in the letter.
He asked the priests to encourage their staff and parishioners to pray the Angelus at 2 p.m., as well. He also asked them to keep St. Mary Parish in Franklin and its pastor, Father Bob Poitras, in their thoughts. The 100-year-old church building was severely damaged by an arsonist in October, causing $1 million in damages.
"I invite us all to encourage our brother and will look forward to the completion of that project and another joyful reopening," the archbishop wrote.
Msgr. Kevin O'Leary, rector of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, called the ringing of the bells a "fabulous" idea.
"It's a sign of unity and a sign of hope," he told The Pilot on Dec. 3.
Msgr. O'Leary studied in France and served in a parish there. He visited Notre Dame before the fire and called its beauty "a testament to the spiritual life" of France.
"It was a wonderful experience," he said. "You feel the impact of the history. It's always been deep in the heart of the French people, especially in Paris, deeply loved in literature and history and religion."
The Notre Dame fire took place the day after Palm Sunday 2019, when the Cathedral of the Holy Cross reopened to the public after two years of restorations. Msgr. O'Leary was personally devastated by the fire and said that it made the cathedral's reopening "bittersweet."
"It was a heartbreaking time for people," he said. "It was Good Friday, and it really brought home the suffering in our life and the life of Christ."
Now, he said, Notre Dame, like Christ, has been resurrected. Despite controversial calls to give the structure a more modern look, the cathedral has been returned to its original splendor. Msgr. O'Leary said that the fire, which came close to destroying almost 1,000 years of Catholic heritage, "awakened something in people."
"Because of the restoration and the way it's done, people are looking at their own response to the faith in the culture today, and are becoming more interested in the Catholic Church," he said. "They're becoming more interested in the faith, and it's a wonderful symbol of their faith."
William first visited the Cathedral of the Holy Cross after its 2019 restoration and was surprised by how beautiful it was. To him, cathedrals in the U.S. feel shiny and new, compared to the "centuries and centuries" that have passed within Europe's cathedrals. He said that just thinking about their history makes him emotional.
"These stones have been here before you and will be here long after you," he said.
He sees cathedrals like Notre Dame as a testament to the church's lasting tradition and laments that they are more often seen as tourist attractions than places of worship.
"When you pray in a beautiful place, when you pray in something that is made beautiful for God, I think it just strengthens your faith," he said. "And you think about so many people that have been involved in building this and have beautiful ideas."
Notre Dame is a priceless piece of French heritage, he said, but its size and elegance have made it a global cultural icon. He sees the bell ringing as another example of that.
"It shows that this cathedral is so important, even if it's 5,000 miles away," he said. "It's a wave of love."