CHARTRES, France (LifeSiteNews) – Cardinal Gerhard Müller, former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will offer a traditional pontifical Latin Mass at the close of next year’s Pentecost Chartres Pilgrimage, a three-day pilgrimage through the French countryside from Paris to the medieval Cathedral of Notre Dame du Chartres.
The announcement was published in a press release from the association Notre-Dame de Chrétienté:
The Pontifical Closing Mass of the 42nd Pilgrimage to Chartres organized by the association Notre-Dame de Chrétienté will be celebrated by Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres, on Monday, May 20, 2024 at 15:30 p.m. He will be present to meet the pilgrims on Whit Sunday at the bivouac of Gas.
Of German origin, a great theologian and close friend of Joseph Ratzinger, whose complete works he supervised, he was appointed prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Church’s greatest doctrinal authority, by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, a position he held until 2017. He was created a cardinal in 2014 by Pope Francis. Since 2017, he has dedicated himself to the teaching and defense of the Catholic faith, for example through his two recent books: The Power of Truth, and In All Good Faith.
The Association Notre-Dame de Chrétienté thanks His Eminence for the friendship of his presence at the pilgrimage and invites pilgrims to reserve their Pentecost weekend (18-19-20 May) now to nourish their faith through doctrinal formation, prayer and the penitential and joyful walk of the pilgrimage to Chartres.
The pilgrimage has seen huge growth over recent years, reaching maximum capacity this past May. With 16,000 Catholic pilgrims setting out from Sainte Sulpice in Paris, the pilgrimage concluded with over 20,000 persons who filled to overflowing the magnificent, iconic gothic Cathedral of Notre Dame du Chartres in France on Pentecost Monday. Pilgrims from all over the world walked the 65-mile journey over three days from Paris as witness to their love for the Traditional Latin Mass while praying for full freedom to be granted for the celebration of the Church’s ancient apostolic liturgy.
READ: Thousands of Catholics make 3-day pilgrimage in France for freedom, restoration of Latin Mass
Inspired by the evident devotion of the Latin Mass pilgrims who flocked to Chartres last Pentecost, Jeanne Smits, LifeSiteNews’ Paris correspondent, wrote in June 2023,
“The more the traditional Mass is persecuted, the more it seems to attract! Faced with the human tide of pilgrims – average age 20 to 25 – one could only be struck by such ardor, such a refreshing spirit, such determination too. The Notre Dame de Chrétienté association, which does not and will not give up on the traditional liturgy, this weekend provided the French bishops who are wondering how to attract young people with an answer that is both a slap in the face and a challenge. With its growing numbers, the pilgrimage’s success showed them that it is not necessary to keep up with the world, let alone imitate it, to inspire new generations to follow Christ and honor Our Lady, who inevitably leads them to Him.”
READ: Chartres pilgrimage highlights unwavering dedication to Catholic tradition among youth
It is hoped by the faithful who make the Chartres Pentecost Pilgrimage that those in authority in the Church will grant their requests for full freedom to be able to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass and that they will come to see the truth of what Pope Benedict XVI declared that “what earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.”
In a letter to the President of the French Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, the organizers of the yearly traditional Pentecost pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres, along with friendly associations, requested a meeting with the French bishop to discuss the strong desire among the faithful for greater freedom in celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass. They wrote:
The success of the Chartres pilgrimage organized at Pentecost 2022 was a living proof of the dynamism and missionary character of the traditional community. On its 40th anniversary, Notre Dame de Chrétienté brought together more than 15,000 pilgrims despite adverse weather conditions, following two years of disruption due to the health crisis. This year’s record attendance was a confirmation of a constant trend, as the number of faithful participating in the pilgrimage of Christendom has been increasing for several years. Half of the marchers were under 20 years old, a fact that reveals the deep vitality of this movement of faithful who come en masse to benefit from the graces of an event that exclusively makes use of the traditional rite.
These traditionally minded youngsters are but the visible part of the vast number of faithful who are attached to the usus antiquior, and of the hundreds of French schools, chapels, and parishes that thrive on this liturgy. The high level of participation of young people is also proof that many families have effectively transmitted their faith as well as their habit of regular religious practice, precisely thanks to the traditional rite.
The next Chartres Pilgrimage is scheduled Saturday, May 18-Monday, May 20. For pilgrims from North America, there are two chapters through which people may sign up to attend: Our Lady of the Rosary Chapter, and the Chapter of Our Lady of Guadalupe with Remnant Tours, led by Michael Matt.
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