University of Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins reacts to fire at Notre Dame Cathedral | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › University of Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins reacts to fire at Notre Dame Cathedral University of Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins reacts to fire at Notre Dame Cathedral Published: April 16, 2019 Author: Notre Dame News Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame, issued the following statement about the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris: “We are deeply saddened to see the damage to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, a church whose exquisite Gothic architecture has for centuries raised hearts and minds to God. We join in prayer with the faithful of the cathedral and all of France as they begin the work of rebuilding. We are reminded of the words of our founder, Holy Cross Father Edward Sorin, a French immigrant, who, after a terrible fire destroyed our campus in 1879, said: ‘Tomorrow we will begin again and build it bigger, and when it is built, we will put a gold dome on top with a golden statue of the Mother of God so that everyone who comes this way will know to whom we owe whatever great future this place has.’” At the direction of Father Jenkins, the University will donate $100,000 toward the renovation of the cathedral. In addition, the bells of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the Notre Dame campus will toll 50 times — representing the 50 Hail Marys of Our Lady’s rosary — at 6 p.m. Tuesday (April 16) to mark the start of the rebuilding process for the cathedral. Posted In: University News Faith Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related September 22, 2022 In memoriam: Rev. Richard Warner, C.S.C., longtime leader for Notre Dame, Congregation of Holy Cross August 09, 2022 de Nicola Center, McGrath Institute to host webinar series on caring for women and children after Dobbs May 13, 2022 Standing in solidarity: Notre Dame expands partnership with Ukrainian Catholic University March 01, 2022 University of Notre Dame participates in Church’s Synod on Synodality January 25, 2022 Hundreds gather to observe Notre Dame Day for Life For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn