GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Churches around the world — and in West Michigan — are celebrating France’s Notre Dame Cathedral.
The iconic French cathedral had been closed since 2019, when a devastating fire broke out. But on Saturday, Notre Dame opened its doors once again.
Thousands of miles away, the Basilica of Saint Adalbert in Grand Rapids rang its bells at exactly 2 p.m. to line up with the formal reopening.
Matt Batchelder, a lifelong parishioner whose grandparents immigrated from Poland and were part of the parish, said it was “a special moment.”
“It’s a special honor to be selected to ring the bells to commemorate the reopening of the Cathedral of Notre Dame,” he said. “Our church is significant in Grand Rapids, just like that church is significant in France and throughout the world.”
He remembers the day when the French cathedral went up in flames.
“I remember being at work and watching that on TV, and just the horror of knowing that you could be losing something special like that,” Batchelder recounted. “And so, you know, thinking about our church here, over 100 years old — and what would that mean if we were to lose something like that here in Grand Rapids?”
Though Notre Dame took more than 150 years to build, it was restored in just five years. Rev. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, the cathedral’s rector, termed it “a magnificent symbol of unity” and “a sign of hope,” according to a report from the Associated Press. In that spirit, communities around the world joined the celebration Saturday.
“It was a prayerful moment,” Batchelder said of Saturday’s bell ringing. “I felt gratitude, both for the Cathedral of Notre Dame and also for the church that we have here. And not just the church building but the Catholic Church, our faith.”