Notre Dame Mass & Confessionals with the Archbishop of Paris

I had the greatest privilege of attending Notre Dame Mass on Sunday in Paris, France and I must say that the service was anything but ordinary.  Although the Catholic Church Sunday celebration is indeed a universal Church Doctrine, there was still something very unique about this service.

Now that I truly am following through with my experience, there were plenty of unique experiences in this Mass.  I attended the 6:30 PM (18:30 PM Paris time) Mass in which the archbishop of Paris attends and celebrates the Mass.  I was honored not only to be a part of the Mass but to also be centered and front row!

The Chant d’entree alone was breathtaking and nearly brought me to tears in addition to the “Choir Only” hymns that the choir sings for about thirty minutes before Mass begins.  Listening to the Lecture du Livre du Protege Baruc (5 1-9) all in French sounded like the universal language all people in heaven speak.  Every word spoken by the archbishop was so moving that one does not have to know French to sense the power of the liturgy.

From the moment I sat down on the front row, I was part of a crowd of lovely locals who were generous in spirit and devout in their worship speaking and singing every single word of the Mass.  What was most enjoyable was that the archbishop of Paris included comic relief in his homily which allowed the parishoners to relax, smile, and to remember that not everything is serious.

I also admired the tourists that would rotate around nearly the entire church before, during, and after Mass.  Not only were they respectful but they also pause any time the chorus begins.  Attending front row Mass at Notre Dame is such a powerful experience and I’d recommend it to anyone whether they believe in anything or not.

It was an extraordinary experience to go to confessionals at Notre Dame and while every day may have different priests, some do speak multiple languages including English.  Do be patient though as everyone has different confessions so some are just a few seconds while others can be hours.  Because of this, it’s important to have a large block of time when attending confessionals at Notre Dame in Paris.

Here is the Mass schedule for Sunday and get the full info at the official Notre Dame website here.

Sunday (all services are held at the high altar): 
– 8:30 am: Mass
– 9:30 am: Office of the Lauds
– 10:00 am: Gregorian Mass of the Cathedral Chapter 
– 11:30 am: International Mass
– 12:45 pm: Mass
– 5:45 pm: Vespers Office
– 6:30 pm: Mass (usually presided over by the archbishop) broadcast live on KTO-Catholic Television and Radio Notre-Dame

More to come! JoJo

More to come! -JoJo