Posted on 04/16/2019 2:53:28 PM PDT by NKP_Vet
The chaplain to the Parisian fire brigade has been hailed as a hero after it was revealed he led efforts to save the priceless holy relics and art stored inside Notre-Dame Cathedral.
The story of Father Jean-Marc Fournier was reported by Christian journalist of French Catholic Television station KTOTV, who revealed the chaplain went into the burning cathedral to retrieve relics and art before they could be damaged by fire and falling debris. Reports state the priest formed a human chain to carry the items away from danger.
Following up that report, the Katholiek Nieuwsblad states Fr. Fournier has a history of Christian mission under dangerous circumstances. The newspaper reports he responded with the fire brigade to the 2015 Bataclan terror attacks in Paris, where Islamist extremists killed 90 with rifles and suicide vests at a rock concert in the city, where he was "quickly on the scene after the attack ... he helped remove the wounded from the hall and prayed with the bodies of the victims."
The priest also served as a chaplain to the French army and survived an ambush in Afghanistan where ten French soldiers were killed.
Television network Sky News reports the remarks of one member of the Paris emergency services who said of the chaplain: "Father Fournier is an absolute hero.
"He showed no fear at all as he made straight for the relics inside the cathedral, and made sure they were saved. He deals with life and death every day, and shows no fear."
took 5-6 girls to dances in my dads 61 catalina. Bench seat came in handy
soon to be mosques
And did it all add up?
Yes, to much less than what he had estimated would have been the weight and dimensions of a cross big enough to crucify a man in late Roman antiquity.
You can read about it here from several sources (LINK)
Probable explanations: (1) probably Jesus carried only the crossbeam, not the upright post --- if what the 4th century excavators had found was only the crossbeam; and/or (2)many pieces were in private possession,vandalized, lost, destroyed, or otherwise unaccounted for.
From the point of view of research and documentation about the chain of custody of these fragments, it's pretty interesting.
Empress Helena had been given full access to the treasury of her son Constantine to fund investigations and excavations in the Holy Land. The wonder of it is that there were so very few chunks, bones, rags and fragments of things being proffered as true relics, if there was, a some might imagine, possible monetary reward for it.
The upshot is that some of the locals knew very well where the real stuff was, because during the years when the faith was being interdicted by the Emperors and its Scriptures, gravesites and shrines destroyed, right up through the Persecution of Diocletian --- they had hidden them well.
They would not expose them under threat, or for money. Only that proper religious honor might be given.
I’m neither an expert nor an antiquarian, but for an interesting view on pieces of the True Cross, see #23.
Not really. Large timbers burn slow because of the low surface area. And in another thread someone said that the timber are very dry because they were drying for centuries. Wood does not become any drier over many years. They come to an equalibrium moisture content and vary a percentage points up and down with the seasons. I don’t know what equipment the local departments have but a couple of water drops by a helicopter would have put it out.
[I don’t know what equipment the local departments have but a couple of water drops by a helicopter would have put it out.]
I am Southern Baptist, but I know I felt the presence of God in so many beautiful cathedrals all over Europe. Beauty and a sense of peace I still remember. The organs and hymns were also incredible.
Bless you, my FRiend!
When a church has a relic of the True Cross it is a tiny sliver. All the slivers in Europe do not make a whole beam of the Cross. It is recorded history that St Helena, Constantine's mother, brought it back from the Holy Land circa 330AD.
Yes and there is no way of knowing if each sliver is from the original. Also Helena excavated the cross 300 years after the crucifixion. I don’t know if there had been other crucifixions there in the remaining 300 years?
The cross recovered by Helena seems to be the “most authentic”. However, early Christians did not use a cross symbol (they used a fish) because they saw the method of Christ’s death as shameful. Therefore I am not certain they would have endeavored to preserve the cross.
In any event, the sale of relics became a problem and many fakes abound, no doubt of slivers of the cross as well as saints bones, etc.
Was the original crown of thorns preserved? unclear.
That must have been similar in size to my 1967 Buick Riviera. It got a whopping 7 mpg in the city and 12 on the road.
Yes, Cavaillé-Coll's masterpiece has not only survived the fire, it wasn't even touched by water, which wold have been equally destructive. It will have to be completely rebuilt, however. It was last restored in 2014, when all 8000+ pipes were removed for cleaning, so there's very recent experience of what's required. The registration is managed by a modern computer system, but replacing that would be the easy part. The console is also modern and replaceable, but it looks as if that may not be necessary.
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