Morning in Paris, the City Awakes to the Bells of Notre-Dame-by Alexis Scherer

“Morning in Paris, the city awakes to the Bells of Notre-Dame.” 

All I could think about was Quasimodo in the bell tower pulling on the ropes to make the bells chime.

When I realized I was actually going to France, the one thing I was set on doing was going to Mass at La Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. We were told that we were allowed to navigate through Paris by ourselves at least once on the trip and I knew this would be the time to do it!

Before arriving in Paris, I thought our apartment would be close by Notre-Dame and it’d be a piece of cake to walk there; well, that wasn’t the case.

To get the Île-de-la-Cité, where Notre-Dame is located, I had to get on the Métro at Porte de Bagnolet on Train 3 towards the station we called “Kevin Bacon.” Once on the train, you had the chance to observe Parisians either going to Mass as well or going into the center of Paris for a meal or shopping. This is the perfect opportunity to “eavesdrop” on their conversations to see how much you can understand.

The next stop I had to get off at was République. This station was a major hub for connecting different lines so you had to make sure you got on the right train going the right way otherwise you would end up somewhere else. I had to get on the train going to towards Place d’Orleans and get off at the stop Réaumur-Sébastopol.

I did so successfully and I made it to Notre-Dame with a half hour to spare before Mass began! This gave me a chance to make it inside, find a good seat, and pray my Rosary before Mass started. I have to admit, I was pretty proud of myself making it their by myself without any help!

A minute or so before Mass began, I took out my phone to check what time it was and to snap a quick picture of the altar hoping no one would see. Well I was wrong! One of the people in charge came up to me very sternly and said, “C'est un lieu de prière pas un lieu pour les photos. Rangez-le ou partez,” which means “This is a place for prayer not a place for pictures. Put it away or leave.” I felt a little embarrassed and scared but I understand why he told me that, so I put my phone away and Mass began.

Mass was definitely interesting and beautiful. It was said in French and Latin so I was able to follow along a little easier than expected. Obviously I know the order of the Mass but I was able to understand the readings and prayers easier at some parts than at others. They gave us a program to follow along with since I went to the “international” Mass so the readings were in English, which I didn’t read, but that was it.

After Mass, the bells immediately starting ringing. I swear it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard before. I was overcome with emotion because I wasn’t expecting the bells to be rung after Mass since we don’t do that in the United States.

I walked to the meeting place Dr. Bartlett and I arranged and I took this video. I thought I was just going to stand there in front of the massive, gorgeous cathedral and just listen but something told me to videotape it. I’m so glad I did because now I can listen to here whenever I want and relive that moment!

Did you know that the first bell that is rung every time is their largest bell named Emmanuel, which means God is with us? I didn’t either until we took our Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour around Paris!