Chartres, France – June 8, 2025 – In a breathtaking display of vibrant Catholic faith, a record-breaking 19,000 pilgrims, predominantly young people, completed the arduous 60-mile Pentecost pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres this weekend. The massive turnout, swelling by thousands even from last year’s impressive numbers, stands as a powerful testament to the enduring appeal of the Traditional Latin Mass and the deep spiritual hunger for authentic Catholic devotion in a secularized world.
Under a sea of Christian banners, crosses, flags, and standards often venerating beloved Saints, the pilgrims, with an astonishing average age of just 20, began their three-day journey from the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris. Their destination: the historic Chartres Cathedral, a jewel of Christendom and home to the sacred relic of the Sancta Camisa, believed to have been worn by the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The sheer enthusiasm and spiritual fervor of the young participants were palpable. Sidonie, a 23-year-old pilgrim, shared with Le Figaro: “I await this pilgrimage every year with crazy impatience! It’s my special moment with Christ, a tête-à-tête that allows me to refocus, far from the worries of everyday life… If heaven looks like that, honestly, I can’t wait to be there!”
Another young pilgrim, 23-year-old Lilou, articulated the profound sentiment driving many: “This enthusiasm comes from a deep aspiration to rediscover the sense of the sacred, from commitment to the beauty of life, from self-sacrifice… Regardless of culture or belief, this quest transcends boundaries and opposes the individualism of our time.”
This remarkable surge in participation, particularly among the youth, is widely seen by the faithful as a clear vindication of the spiritual power and timeless beauty of the Traditional Latin Mass to draw souls to Christ and His Church. The pilgrimage, in its current traditional form since 1983, continues a centuries-old tradition of seeking God at the hallowed site of Chartres.
The undeniable power of the Traditional Latin Mass to draw souls, particularly the young, to the true Catholic Faith is a beacon of hope. It is, therefore, no surprise that this flourishing of tradition has drawn the ire of the modernist hierarchy occupying Rome. Reports from La Croix last year, indicating that the Novus Ordo establishment under the usurper Bergoglio (Francis) launched a review due to the pilgrimage’s fidelity to the true Mass, merely confirm the ongoing war against authentic Catholicism waged by the Conciliar sect.
Any purported renewed hope for a supposed rapprochement with the modernist structure in Rome, even under a new claimant like the so-called ‘Pope Leo XIV,’ must be met with profound skepticism by Catholics. Unless such a figure were to publicly abjure the heresies of Vatican II and its subsequent false popes, and unequivocally restore all things in Christ according to perennial Church teaching, any talk of ‘unity’ is a dangerous illusion. True peace and unity can only exist in the full, uncompromised Catholic Faith, not in appeasement of modernism.
The words of Father Arnaud Evrat, expressing a hope that this Leo XIV might “bring the peace that has been lacking since Francis’ motu proprio” and that “the Church will have to reverse this legal decision,” reflect a sentiment understandable among those suffering persecution. However, for those who recognize the See of Peter as vacant, the issue is far deeper than a single motu proprio. The entire edifice of the post-Conciliar church and its decrees lack true authority. The only path to genuine peace is the complete restoration of authentic Catholic doctrine, worship, and discipline, as preserved by the faithful remnant who have refused to compromise with the modernist apostasy.
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