Notre Dame Burns, and the Church Weeps

For 800 years the people of France gave the world a great gift. For 800 years countless millions experienced its transcendent beauty. Then, in an afternoon, it was gone — gutted by fire. We watched it burn, and across the whole of Christendom men and women were surprised by the extent of their grief.

In the days and weeks that follows, people will share their stories about Notre Dame. Here’s mine. On March 9, 1996, I walked into the great cathedral on the morning of my wedding day. The gravity...