Notre Dame and France’s Baptism

Nothing is accidental in God’s providence, which guides all things – concretely and immediately – to their final end, in the overall plan He has in mind. But some of these events are more significant than others, offering us signs and wonders, of which Christ Himself warned, pointing us as creatures made in His image to stop, reflect and pray.

It is thus, I posit, that we should see the burning of one of the greatest – and certainly one of the most famous – cathedrals in the world, Notre Dame in Paris, which dates back to its beginning in the twelfth century, completion in 1345, and which is now engulfed in flames as I write. One need not wonder much to ponder what God might be saying to the people of France – once, the ‘eldest daughter of the Faith and the world. As Pope Saint John Paul II warned in his pilgrimage there in 1980, ‘France, remember your baptism!’

As glorious as it is – and, it pains me even to write these words, the stained glass windows, yes, the irreplaceable Rose, have all blown out – the cathedral is a building, a symbol, a sacramental, of what Faith there was, and still is, and yet may be again. But we are no longer the people of the Middle Ages, when the Faith was real, lived, breathed. As one headline put it, the cathedral took two centuries to build, and 63 minutes to burn. President Macron’s promise to rebuild rings hollow, when that Faith is no more, or at least attenuated, found in redoubts here and there. Who even looks two decades, never mind two centuries, into the future anymore?

As readers of Catholic Insight may know, the cathedral was part of my pilgrimage last summer, as I wandered down the streets of Paris in the middle of the night, to see the great façade lit up in all its glory – which I just heard they have saved – as the drunkards and homeless – I was one of those two – argued out front, the rats scurrying to and fro the courtyard.

But we may hope; many treasures and relics were saved from the flames, the structure seems intact; then there is still perpetual adoration at Montmartre, overlooking Notre Dame and the whole of Paris; and in the end, a Father never forgets his daughters, but waits patiently for them to return to His house.

God is saying something. It is up to us, in our own hearts, to ask what that might be.

Carney’s Amoral Majority

After five defections – euphemistically described as ‘crossing the floor’ – and three by-elections, Mark Carney and his Liberals how have their coveted majority. One wonders what bowls of pottage were offered in back-room deals. In the archaic monarchical system that is the Dominion of Canada, this majority allows the newly-minted Prime Minister to rule[…]Continue reading→

Saint Kateri , Canada’s Protectress

This was the title given to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, by Pope Benedict XVI, when he canonized her on October 28th, 2012, along with six others, in Saint Peter’ Square (she had been beatified by Pope John Paul II back in 1980). With Saint Joseph as our protector, along with the Canadian martyrs, we seem to[…]Continue reading→

A Closed, Unsustainable, Descending Loop

As a follow-up to my thoughts on Payette’s payout, here be a stark image of where are here in Canada. As the graph shows in, well, graphic terms, since 2025, the public sector has contributed to 95.5% of economic growth. The private sector – which funds the public sector, or is supposed to – has[…]Continue reading→

A Tale of Two Benedicts

A grace-filled Holy Week to all our readers! As we await and prepare for the Resurrection about to dawn upon us, we might keep in mind two Benedicts: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, requiescat in pace, elected on this day in 2005; and today’s commemoration of the mystic pilgrim, Benedict Joseph Labre, who died on this[…]Continue reading→

My Name is Bernadette

April 16th is a propitious day, for besides the anniversary of Father de Valk’s death, who founded Catholic Insight in its print form decades ago, and the commemoration of the ‘two Benedicts’, mentioned in accompanying posts, today we also recall Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the young visionary to whom the Virgin Mary appeared numerous times at[…]Continue reading→

Presidential Pardon of Weronika Krawczyk

As a good news, follow-up to our story from Poland, of the persecution of Weronika Krawczyk for her pro-life views, we heard that she has been granted a presidential pardon. One might still wonder why one needs a presidential pardon for simply holding the long-held belief that the child within the womb is a child,[…]Continue reading→

Saint Lydwina of Schiedam and Suffering Joyfully

Saint Lydwina of Schiedam (1380 – 1433) was one of the countless and glorious ‘victim souls’ in the history of the Church, those whose lives are filled with suffering, often of an unimaginable intensity, but who suffer joyfully. She was a fifteen-year old Dutch girl, out skating one day, when she fell and broke one[…]Continue reading→

The Glorious Martyrdoms of Martin and Maximus

As we enter into Eastertide, we recall on this 13th of April Pope Saint Martin I (+655), one of the noblest, if most tragic, of the successors of Saint Peter. Born in Umbria, Italy, he was of noble lineage, with great intelligence combined with charity and love of the poor and the Church. While still[…]Continue reading→

Pope Leo and a Rosary for Peace

Pope Leo XIV has asked Catholics across the world to join him in a Rosary for peace today, at 18:00 Rome time (6 pm), which would be noon from where I write (EST). If you are able, whether at that time or another, and in whatever way you pray, to join in intercession with the[…]Continue reading→

Payette’s Payout

I was glancing through some headlines, and noticed a mention of Julie Payette – engineer and astronaut and sometime the Queen’s representative in Canada – which brought back vague memories. She was appointed Governor-General by Justin Trudeau in 2017. Ms. Payette resigned in 2021, amidst claims that she created a ‘toxic work environment’, with allegations[…]Continue reading→