In the aftermath of the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday April 15, 2019, Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr has issued the following statement:

“Here in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, we join in prayer with the millions of Catholics around the world and especially in the Archdiocese of Paris, asking Our Blessed Mother to guide those who contemplate the future of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The holy site has been a place of beauty and prayer for millions throughout the centuries. We pray for all those who mourn the devastation to this iconic church and we look in anticipation to Christ’s Resurrection for hope to renew the Cathedral at Notre Dame and the Church.”

Archbishop Schnurr went on a pilgrimage in Europe in 2012 that included a stop in Paris and time at Notre Dame Cathedral. While there he concelebrated Mass in the iconic church.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati is the 44th largest Catholic diocese in the country, with more than 450,000 Catholics, and has the sixth largest Catholic school system in terms of enrollment with more than 40,000 students. The 19-county territory includes 211 parishes and 111 Catholic primary and secondary schools.