As the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris’ iconic bells echo across France this weekend, Tampa Bay area churches will join the celebration with some joyful noise of their own.
At 2 p.m. EST Saturday, church bells across the country will chime in unison with Notre Dame as a show of support for the iconic landmark that burned down in 2019.
After a five-year reconstruction, the cathedral’s 12th-century stone, wood and art have been restored by over 1,000 artisans.
Father Justin Paskert is a priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O’ Lakes, one of the churches participating.
"Going around and ringing the bells, it's kind of just announcing to everybody that something important is happening and it calls, practically speaking, everybody's attention to it,” Paskert said.
Paskert called church bells “an iconic voice of the town.”
Paskert visited Notre Dame after he was ordained in 2013, before the fire. He visited for the 850th anniversary celebration and got to celebrate a Sunday Mass in the historic building.
“Getting to be at the 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday with the cathedral full of people was quite a memorable experience,” Paskert said.
During his visit, he got to look at the Crown of Thorns, one of the relics saved in the 2019 fire.
Paskert was a priest at the USF Catholic Student Center when news about the fire broke on April 15, 2019. He said he remembers watching the spire go up in flames and noted how central it was to the Paris skyline.
“Many people had quite a visceral reaction to it,” he said.
Paskert, who worked with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue before being ordained, said his mind was racing with how Paris’ firefighters could stop the fire and save the building.
Now, after a five-year, $740 million restoration, Notre Dame will reopen its doors with a bright new look that maintains the historic feel of the cathedral.
Alongside Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, other parishes in the Diocese of St. Petersburg will peal their bells in unison with Notre Dame.
- Holy Family Catholic Church, St. Petersburg
- Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Inverness
- St. Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, Masaryktown
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Dade City
"It's also just kind of making a joyful noise and celebrating," Paskert said.
