Hebrew mass in Paris celebrates first anniversary


Father Thierry Vernet writes to us from Paris.

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Every Friday, in the weekday chapel in the parish of Saint Paul, in the center of Paris, more than fifteen faithful gather in order to participate in the celebration of the mass in Hebrew. They come from all over Paris, and sometimes from even farther away, seminarians, pensioners, scholars, young and less young, most of whom have spent some time in Israel… They all have in common a love for Hebrew and Judaism and the desire to pray and have communion in the language of the Bible. Personally, each time I celebrate I truly have the sense that I am in communion with Jerusalem and our friends in the kehilla, whose songs and melodies we take up.

After the mass, we gather together in a fraternal atmosphere, to study one book of the Bible (Jonah, Isaiah…) and each one brings his or her comments or questions thus contributing to a rich reading of the Hebrew text.

Father Henry de Villefranche and myself initiated this mass last year for the time of Advent, in 2012, without knowing if it would in fact last for longer than that period. Today, after one year, we are at least three priests who can celebrate in Hebrew and others are preparing themselves by concelebrating with us. The number of faithful is also slowly increasing even though there is no advertising.

If you are in Paris, do not hesitate to come and visit and feel a little bit of home right here. Be aware, though, that the mass is not celebrated during the school holidays.

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