Cathorico : le chant du coq catholique

La foi se transmet aussi par la voix 🇬🇧 English summary When Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at Place de la Concorde on 26 September, the liturgy will be supported by an exceptional musical ensemble bringing together the Maîtrise de Sainte-Anne-d’Auray, a large polyphonic choir and more than one thousand singers from dioceses across France. Behind these impressive numbers lies a deeper reality: Catholic transmission does not pass only through catechism, families or statistics of baptisms. It also passes through music, repetition, memory and the experience of singing the faith together. Gregorian chant, Gabriel Fauré, contemporary compositions and familiar French hymns will coexist within the same celebration. Perhaps one of the most discreet signs of Catholic vitality in France today is simply this: the country still knows how to sing its faith. 🎼 Sainte du jour : Hildegarde de Bingen Le choix du sujet tombe particulièrement bien puisque le 17 septembre , l’Église fait mémoire de saint...

  Un pape vient d’abord comme pasteur 🇬🇧 English summary Pope Leo XIV will be received by President Emmanuel Macron during his apostolic journey to France, but Rome appears determined to prevent the visit from assuming the character of a State visit. According to information reported by La Croix , several proposals from the French presidency, including a longer presidential presence with the Pope at Notre-Dame, a State meal and the conferral of the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, were not retained. The official Vatican programme confirms the deeper logic of the journey: after the necessary diplomatic encounters, its centre is constituted by prayer, liturgy, young people, catechumens, the sick, bishops and religious communities. The distinction is significant. Leo XIV comes to France as Head of the Catholic Church before appearing as sovereign of Vatican City. 🌹 15 septembre : Notre-Dame des Douleurs Le 15 septembre, au lendemain de l'Exaltation de la Sainte Croix, l'Égl...

  Une prière devenue patrimoine vivant 🇬🇧 Résumé en anglais latinisant The Marian torchlight procession of Lourdes has officially entered the National Inventory of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of France. This recognition does not concern an ancient monument or a disappeared custom, but a living religious practice in which thousands of pilgrims still participate. More than one hundred and fifty years after its development, the procession continues to unite prayer, popular devotion, hospitality and international pilgrimage. In a profoundly secularised France, the State thus recognises as national heritage a Catholic tradition which remains actively practised rather than merely remembered. 🌹 15 septembre : Notre-Dame des Douleurs Le calendrier donne à cette actualité une résonance particulière. Le 15 septembre , au lendemain de l'Exaltation de la Sainte Croix, l'Église célèbre la mémoire de Notre-Dame des Douleurs . Marie est contemplée debout au pied de la Croix, selon les...

  À onze jours de son arrivée, le pape prépare aussi son voyage par la langue 🇬🇧 English summary Pope Leo XIV is preparing his apostolic visitation to France not only through diplomatic and pastoral organisation, but also through linguistic preparation. According to information published on 14 September, the Pontiff devoted part of his summer to the revision and improvement of his French. From 25 to 28 September, he will address civil authorities, young people, bishops, pilgrims and representatives of different religions in Paris, Saint-Denis, Lourdes and Metz. The gesture has a particular significance: rather than relying exclusively upon translation or international English, the Pope seeks to encounter the French people through their own language. In an ecclesial context where inculturation is frequently invoked, this modest linguistic effort constitutes a concrete form of it. ✝️ Fête du jour : l’Exaltation de la Sainte Croix Le 14 septembre, l’Église célèbre l’Exaltation de la...

  La crise change le public des abbayes 🇬🇧 English summary At the Cistercian abbey of Échourgnac in Dordogne, the decline of traditional Catholic practice is producing an unexpected transformation. Fewer practising Catholics come for retreats, while increasing numbers of visitors with little or no Christian background arrive looking for silence, beauty and meaning. The monastery is therefore becoming not only a place for committed believers, but also a threshold through which secularised people encounter Christian life. ✝️ Saint du jour : saint Jean-Gabriel Perboyre Le 11 septembre, l'Église fait mémoire de saint Jean-Gabriel Perboyre , prêtre lazariste français né dans le Lot en 1802. Après avoir été formateur à Paris, il part comme missionnaire en Chine en 1835. Arrêté en 1839 lors d'une persécution contre les chrétiens, il refuse notamment de fouler la croix. Après plusieurs mois de détention et de tortures, il est étranglé le 11 septembre 1840. Jean-Paul II le canonise en...

  Le réveil qui déroute 🏛️ English summary French Catholicism remains profoundly marked by secularisation, declining inherited practice and fragile ecclesial structures. Yet another movement is now becoming impossible to ignore. In 2026, 13,234 adults received baptism in France, an increase of 28 per cent in one year, while more than 8,100 adolescents also entered the Church. The phenomenon is particularly visible among young adults. This does not constitute a restitutio of the old Catholic France, but perhaps the emergence of another form of Christian presence: less inherited, more voluntary, more personal and therefore potentially more demanding. The principal question is no longer merely quot baptizati? , how many are baptised, but whether parishes can transform this spiritual desire into durable Christian life. ✝️ Saint du jour : saint Aubert d’Avranches Le 10 septembre, l’Église fait notamment mémoire de saint Aubert, évêque d’Avranches , mort vers 725. Son nom reste insépar...