WASHINGTON D.C.—This week we watched with sadness as fire tore through historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, causing severe damage to the centuries-old structure. The impact of the fire on the faithful of the city and of the world is immense and the full extent will not be known for some time.
Many dioceses are receiving calls about how our Church will respond to this tragic event. Rather than issuing a formal request for a national appeal, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on National Collections, has issued a letter indicating that the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, has set up a fund to help the Cathedral resurrect and rebuild.
If parishioners would like to support the effort and your diocese is not taking up a special collection, they can do so easily by visiting www.SupportNotreDame.org which is a site solely dedicated to this cause.
Checks can also be mailed to: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Attn: Monsignor Walter Rossi, Rector, 400 Michigan Avenue, NE, Washington, D.C. 20017. Checks should be made payable to “Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception”; indicate “Cathedral of Notre Dame Fund” in the memo portion of the check.
