Cardinal Burke to celebrate closing Pontifical High Mass of Chartres pilgrimage

(LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke will celebrate the Pontifical High Mass at the traditional Chartres pilgrimage this year.

As Advaticanum reports, the American cardinal has been confirmed as the celebrant for the concluding Mass inside Chartres Cathedral on Pentecost Monday.

A record high of over 20,000 pilgrims have registered to take part in the 44th Chartres pilgrimage. This year’s theme, “You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth,” focuses on mission and is inspired by the resurgence of interest in Christianity across the West, especially among young people.

This past Easter, more than 13,000 adults were baptized in the Catholic Church in France, representing a 20 percent increase from the previous year’s record high and a more than 200 percent increase from 2016. Around 42 percent of the newly baptized were between 18 and 26 years old, representing the largest cohort. Eighty-two percent were aged 40 or under, showing a disproportionate rise in faith among young people. When teenagers are included, the total number of baptisms in France this year rises to more than 20,000.

READ: Head of the Benedictines says the Latin Mass ‘has a rightful place in the Church’

The Association of Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, which organizes the event, explained that the pilgrimage stands at the heart of this spiritual awakening in France, for which prayers have been offered for 44 years, and encouraged Catholics to “show boldness and renew their approach to mission.”

The pilgrimage will begin on Saturday, May 23, at 6:50 a.m. with Holy Mass. Pilgrims will then walk 35 kilometers to Choisel, where another Mass will be celebrated at 7:30 p.m. On Pentecost Sunday, May 24, a Pontifical Mass will be celebrated at Les Courlis at midday, after which participants will continue their march to Gas, where they will receive the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and have all-night adoration.

On Pentecost Monday, pilgrims will arrive at Chartres, where Cardinal Burke will celebrate the Pontifical High Mass at the Cathedral.

The Association of Notre-Dame de Chrétienté was founded in 1983 by traditional Catholics in response to the doctrinal and liturgical crisis observed in the Church. The pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres is around 100 kilometers long and dates back to medieval tradition, which was repopularized at the beginning of the 20th century by French essayist Charles Péguy.

Cardinal Burke, an ardent supporter and advocate for the Traditional Latin Mass, also celebrated the closing Mass in Chartres in 2017. Other notable bishops who celebrated the Holy Mass during the Chartres pilgrimage include Cardinal Gerhard Müller, Cardinal Robert Sarah, and Bishop Athanasius Schneider.