Chapel Dedicated To Our Lady of Czestochowa
Survives Notre Dame’s Fire
A recently dedicated chapel of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Paris’ Notre Dame cathedral fortunately survived the blaze that gutted France’s historic 800-year-old structure. The cathedral’s first national chapel was funded by the French Polonia and unveiled in December 2018. The relics of Saint John Paul II that had been enshrined there were also unscathed.
When word of the French tragedy reached Poland, President Andrea Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki immediately pledged Poland’s readiness in the reconstruction and renovation of France’s iconic, flame-damaged national cathedral. In a sign of solidarity with French Catholics and the French nation in general, church bells rang out across Poland.
Notre Dame is a beloved symbol of both France’s Catholic heritage and its national culture. Caritas, the Catholic charity, has set up a special texting account for Poles wishing to donate to the project. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed the hope that Notre Dame, which took some 200 years to build, could be restored to its former splendor within five years.
By Robert Strybel
Warsaw Correspondent