by Natalie Salameh
Our pilgrimage in Paris began with a
memorable visit to France’s most celebrated Cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris. The
French Gothic architecture and stunning stained glass windows of the Cathedral
were marvelous to behold. Our Lady had a special gift awaiting the Maronite
Servants upon their arrival. It so happened that the day of our visit was the
first Friday of the month and the relics of Our Lord’s Crown of Thorns are
presented for veneration. The Crown
is a circle of canes bundled together and
held by gold threads. The thorns were divided up over the centuries by the
Byzantine emperors and the Kings of France. There are seventy, all of the same
type, which have been confirmed as the original thorns. The Maronite Servants
had the great privilege of venerating the Crown (with great eagerness and
enthusiasm), which was displayed by the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre after the
celebration of a beautiful Divine Liturgy. What an awesome start to our
pilgrimage!
The following day we found ourselves in Rue-de-Bac; home of the Chapel
of the Miraculous Medal and the tombs of St. Catherine Laboure and St. Louise
de Marillac. The Chapel was
built in 1815 and was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1830, it was
privileged with the extraordinary events of the apparitions of the Blessed
Virgin to St. Catherine Labouré that marked it forever. Between July and
December 1830, Sr. Catherine, a young novice at the time of the Daughters of
Charity, received the extraordinary favor of conversing with the Virgin Mary on
3 occasions. In this Chapel, the Virgin Mary came in person to reveal her
identity through a little object, a medal, which reads, O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. On
December 8, 1854, Pope Pius
IX proclaimed the Dogma of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception.
What great joy we experienced in not only praying beside the bodies of these
most holy women, but celebrating Divine Liturgy in this hallowed Chapel, which
has preserved the chair the Blessed Virgin sat in during her apparitions!
A couple of streets down from the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal was the
Chapel and Shrine of St. Vincent de Paul, which holds the body of this great
saint. The first thing we noticed upon entering the Chapel was the glass
reliquary containing his body high above the main altar. After climbing the
stairs behind the altar, we arrived to venerate his relics. His face looked so
serene and peaceful, as if he was simply sleeping. St. Vincent de Paul is known
all around the world for his charitable works and is hailed as the “Champion of
the Poor”.
It was a great joy for us to celebrate Sunday’s Divine Liturgy and the
Feast of the Most Holy Rosary (October 4) in our Maronite Cathedral in Paris,
Notre Dame du Liban (Our Lady of Lebanon). We were blessed to meet the Rector
of the Cathedral, Fr. Fadi Elmir, and spend time greeting our devoted Maronite
parishioners. We are indebted to Fr. Fadi for also taking us to meet His
Excellency, Bishop Maroun Nasser Gemayel, who is the first Maronite Bishop of
the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon in Paris. Our visit with Sayedna Gemayel was
very fruitful, as he expressed his affirmation and support of our charism and
mission among our Maronites worldwide.
Our next stop on our Pilgrimage in Paris was Montmartre, which is Paris’
highest hill that overlooks the entire city. Montmartre is primarily
known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur (the Sacred Heart of
Jesus) on its summit. The Basilica is absolutely breath-taking, not only for
its location, but also for its art depicting Jesus’ exposed heart aflame with
love for us as He appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673. The Crypt of
the Basilica boasts a beautiful side Chapel dedicated entirely to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. It was in this very side Chapel in 1887 of the then unfinished
Basilica that St. Therese consecrated herself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
during her pilgrimage. The Maronite Servants were privileged to pray in the
same spot that St. Therese prayed in all those years ago, and celebrated Divine
Liturgy in this breath-taking Basilica.
We also prayed in the
other, older, church on the hill, Saint Pierre de Montmartre, which claims to
be the location at which the Jesuit order of priests was founded, and also a
Church St. Therese visited on her pilgrimage in Paris. I might just add that
this was our only rainy day throughout our whole stay in France; apart from
that, the Lord blessed us with very fine weather.
We visited and prayed at
the Basilica of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
(Our Lady of Victories). This Church is also famous in the life of St. Therese.
St. Thérèse felt the motherly love of Our Lady throughout her
life. On the Feast of Pentecost 1883, when she was ten years old and
suffering from a mysterious and debilitating illness, the statue of the Blessed
Virgin smiled at her in all loveliness, and Therese recovered. Later, Thérèse
began to doubt whether the Virgin really had smiled at her. That scruple
departed in November 1887, in the church of Our Lady of Victories. She
recalled:
It was also in the
Church of Our Lady of Victories that Therese implored the help of the Blessed
Virgin in realizing her vocation. The Church now has two beautiful side Chapels,
one dedicated to Therese and the other dedicated to her recently canonized
parents, Louis and Zelie Martin. We had the special honor of not only
celebrating Divine Liturgy at Our Lady of Victories but also of offering Midday
prayer with the Benedictine nuns who were in attendance that day. They chanted
the Divine Office so beautifully and harmoniously that an overwhelming sense of
peace came over us.
We visited and prayed in
many other Churches in Paris, apart from the ones mentioned above, but our
visits would simply be too long to recount in detail. These beautiful churches
included St. Sulpice, St. Merri, St. Leu-St.Giles, St. Germain, St. Eustace, St.
Pierre and Notre Dame de La Salette. One of my most memorable visits was to the
Church of St. Leu-St.Giles in rue St. Denis. This Church currently holds a rare
relic of St. Helen, mother of St. Constantine, in a glass reliquary at the base
of the Crucifix, which we were able to venerate behind the altar. It is also
the capitular church of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, who continue to
assemble there.
You and your intentions
and loved ones were remembered in prayer at all these holy and venerable sites.