Open doors and lights on

On Saturday 2 July the first edition of the “The night of the churches” will take place across France, during which all the churches who take part in the initiative (some 100 thousand places of worship on the national territory, of which 45 thousand parish churches) will leave their doors open “to welcome all those who wish to enter” explains the French Bishops’ Conference (CEF) in a note”. The event, organized by CEF, and by the cultural review BiMedia Narthex of the national Service of liturgical and sacramental pastoral care, draws inspiration from “Krystalnacht”, whose fifth edition took place past May 14 in Strasbourg, Reims, Meaux, Munich and in various cities of Northern Europe, with the purpose of “enhancing and making known the cultural dimension and the rich patrimony of religious buildings”.Art, religion and liturgy. We expect that the “cultural and missionary event”, “by opening the doors of the churches too often closed outside service hours, will help rediscover the primary cultural dimension of the Church, raising awareness on the richness of her cultural and artistic patrimony by the population at large”, remarked Msgr. Jean Legrez, Archbishop of Albi, member of the Episcopal Commission for Sacramental Pastoral Care and Liturgy. Of the churches as the “unquestionable places of memory” spoke the bishop of Angoulème, Msgr. Claude Dagens. For Emmanuel Bellanger, editorial director of Narthex (newspaper and online publication), “for many people, art has become the place for the experience of religion and for the rediscovery of liturgy”. On the website www.narthex.fr. Narthex proposes a series of ideas to the churches wishing to take part in the initiative such as free or guided visits of the churches and of the crypt, the sacristy, gardens and cemeteries, the display of sacred objects, processional crosses, canonicals, ancient books, Gregorian chants, organ concerts and sacred music choirs performances; historical and artistic conferences on the church and the saint to which it is dedicated, reading of sacred and liturgical texts, moments of meditation; liturgy of the hours: vespers, compline, vigil office, roof light. The bishops have equally conceived proposals for the youth, such as the staging of the life of the Holy Virgin, of the Saints, or stories from the Bible. Approximately 100 thousand places of worship. “The churches – states a note by CEF – are at the same time the home of God and of mankind. Not only do they have the vocation of serving the faithful, they are also called to welcome occasional visitors and make them feel at home”. For this, “local communities must make the effort” of opening the churches “and make them accessible to everyone. It is an obligation, on both the canonical and civic planes. The vocation of the church, continue the bishops, “is to be open even when there are no religious services. It is a public, individual and collective freedom, of proposal and conscience”. CEF pointed out that 45thousand parish churches include the chapels, the oratories, the shrines, as well as the places of worship of monasteries and diocesan associations: representing a total of some 100 thousand places of worship across country. 20% of these buildings fall within the 1913 law on the protection of historical monuments.A few proposals. Msgr. Bernard Podvin, spokesperson of the Bishops of France, on the night of July 2 will be in the collegiate church of Notre-Dame d’Etampes (Diocese of Evry – département de l’Essonne), where the program of the evening will focus on the Virgin Mary in music and poetry. The ideal protagonist, the promoters said, “is St. Bernardo, who spoke beautiful words of Mary. The Saint was in Notre-Dame d’Etampes on the occasion of the 1130 Council”. In the diocese of Aix-en-Provence (département des Bouches-du-Rhône), in the Saint Sauveur Cathedral, will take place a preview of the inauguration of the restoration of the Triptych of the Burning Bush (the masterpiece by Nicolas Froment) scheduled to take place 6 July, in the framework of the lyric festival to the presence of the minister of Culture Frederic Mitterrand. An original proposal characterizes the church of Chateaumeillant (diocese of Bourges): after a video for the presentation of the Christian symbolism of vaults, attendants will share their experience and their memories related to this church. The program of the Saint-Laurent du Puy-en-Velay church (diocese of Le Puy-en-Velay) envisages a musical evening with “fariboles”, the traditional French music that accompanies dances; organ music, harp, flute, and the presentation of the organ. A debate on specific aspects of the artistic patrimony, in particular on the floral liturgy, will follow. The celebration of Compline will close the event.