The Tridentine Mass as an Antidote to Informality, by Gavin Ashenden

One of the highlights of the ecclesial summer is the pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres. This year, many of my friends and colleagues set out to walk the 100km over three days in early June. During the pilgrimage, several livestreamed moments on the journey. One thing struck home immediately: these were people with clean faces. Not because they washed frequently; this was an inner cleanliness, a sort of gentle shining from within. Over three days they skipped, trudged, sang and prayed their way through the French countryside.

The pilgrimage to Chartres, although revived in this century, has a long history. The most famous relic at Chartres, the Veil of the Virgin, was donated by Charles the Bald in around 876. Its fame contributed to the development of the pilgrimage. Tradition claimed that Our Lady wore this garment on the day of Christ’s birth; tests have dated the silk to first-century Palestine. Once part of the longer pilgrimage to Santiago, going to Chartres soon became an important expression of piety in its own right. …

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