Notre Dame Cathedral

Amid criticism that historic elements of the cathedral should not be removed, six new stained-glass windows, designed by French artist Claire Tabouret are on display at the Grand Palais.

Four years after a devastating fire, the date of the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has been set for Dec. 8, 2024, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, according to Philippe Villeneuve, the architect leading the reconstruction.

The donation was made Sept. 16 during a Mass celebrated by Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory in the national shrine’s Crypt Church.

After months of preparation, The Catholic University of America campus played host for two weeks to a 75-person crew that took logs transported from the mountains of Virginia, cut them into timbers and assembled the truss using tools and techniques employed nearly a millennium ago.

In the spotlight: wildfires in Greece, 9/11 “Never Forget Walk,” Iowa pilgrimage

The fire and the pledges to rebuild Notre Dame should also remind us of some other important things — about the Church and about the good that humanity can accomplish at its best.

The key to understanding Notre Dame Cathedral was summarized by Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit in a television interview in the wee hours of April 16: “Why was this beauty built? What jewel was this case meant to contain? Not the crown of thorns (a relic saved from the fire), but a piece of bread that we believe is the body of Christ.”

The fire erupted about 6:30 p.m. local time, and authorities said the cause was not certain but that it could be linked to renovation work that the cathedral was undergoing, the BBC reported.