ANALYSIS
CHARTRES, France (LifeSiteNews) — On the afternoon of Pentecost Sunday, the Bishop of Chartres, Monsignor Philippe Christory, hiked several miles out to the edge of his diocese to greet supporters of the traditional Latin Mass who were journeying by foot on pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres.
The bishop greeted pilgrims as they hiked through the beautiful fields of the French countryside. Walking with the American chapter of Our Lady of the Rosary, the bishop explained the significance of the centuries-old pilgrimage which traditionally begins at the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris and culminates in the cathedral of Notre Dame in Chartres, which enshrines the veil of the Blessed Virgin Mary, meriting for the cathedral the title “Center of Christendom.”
Christory explained that no one had ever been buried in the cathedral of Chartres because the shrine was supposed to be like Our Lady, a source of life.
The bishop said the Latin Mass pilgrimage is by far the largest group to come to Chartres each year. This was especially significant this year following the promulgation of Traditionis Custodes, which severely restricts celebrations of the traditional Latin Mass. As LifeSiteNews has already noted, more than half of the participants of this year’s pilgrimage were under the age of 20. They included many Scouts and Guides from France as well as groups from abroad.
The bishop of Chartres spoke with several groups of pilgrims as he hiked with them to their evening camp on Sunday. Before leaving each group he gave them his blessing. The next day, the bishop presided over and preached at the solemn traditional Latin Mass offered within the beautiful cathedral, which was not large enough to accommodate the 15,000 pilgrims who had come from Paris.
The warm welcome of the bishop and the beautiful liturgy in the centuries-old gothic cathedral were a joyful end to a pilgrimage that began with torrential rains after groups left Paris. The lightning storms on Saturday were the worst the pilgrimage has seen in 30 years, according to longtime veterans. Pilgrims got soaked to the skin as they tramped through forests under the deluge, wading through mud and water for several hours on Saturday afternoon. In spite of the weather on the first day, prayers and singing continued, testifying to the youthful spirit of the event.
On Pentecost morning, before pilgrims set off for the day’s long walk, Jean de Tauriers, president of “Notre-Dame de Chrétieté,” had spoken of the spiritual and liturgical intentions of the pilgrimage.
“One day, our authorities will have to face reality, the simple truth that is in plain sight. We are ordinary Catholics who want to worship in the Extraordinary Form,” he said.
“Pilgrims of Christendom, during these three days of Pentecost, you are here to make a spiritual retreat of conversion. This is about your eternal salvation, and nothing in your life is more important. You have come to pray, and you want to pray according to the Tridentine liturgy, in the traditional form… We beg the Holy Father to look at the daily life of Catholics.”
Photo of Bishop Christory outdoors by Louis Knuffke. Additional photos from Olivier Figueras. Published with permission.