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Nothing Less Ordinary
A number of years ago, my sister and I attended Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral, celebrated by the Archbishop of Paris one Holy Thursday. It was the longest Mass I had ever been present at, lasting around three hours; it was almost entirely sung and it was very lofty and beautiful – despite this, by the end of it, all we could think of was getting something to eat. In the photograph above, which I made at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, the Mass being offered – on the feast of St Matthew the Apostle – was reasonably simple, the beauty of the church notwithstanding. At various points over…
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You Will Find God
On the Rue des Sèvres in Paris, there is large church which is dedicated to Saint Vincent de Paul. In a shrine high above the main altar, his remains – his bones, encased within a wax figure – are visible. A staircase rises up to the shrine from the side of the altar and the public are permitted to ascend this in order to pray beside him. Always, there is an observer sitting close to the shrine, almost imperceptibly, to prevent anything untoward happening there. When he first become a priest, it had been with the clear intention of having an ‘easy life’ – at that time in France, priesthood…
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The Helmet of Hope
There is a little bridge in Paris, close to the Île de la Cité, which is barely able to stand because of the weight of the padlocks which have been attached to it. The railings of the bridge are no longer visible – only the numerous padlocks. There are so many of them now, that even to cut them from the rails would be a monumental task – and so, there they remain. Often, our lives can seem like that little bridge – our problems are like those padlocks, weighing us down tremendously, to the extent that any thought of removing them seems impossible. And it is then that we…
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The Miraculous Medal
For many years, I have worn a Miraculous Medal. It has proved to be the means of many, many graces over the years, as the Blessed Virgin promised that it would be. I’d like to tell the beautiful story of how this little Medal came to be. They call Paris the ‘City of Lights’. A vast city, comprised of twenty arrondisements, it is filled with the most stunning architecture – much of which was built to give glory to God. There are great Cathedrals and multiple Churches, all so beautiful and many of them very ancient, such as the great Cathedral of Notre Dame on the Île de la Cité,…
