Performance Authenticity in the 2016 Liturgies at the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris

This sociological study describes the exceptional qualities of the 2016 Notre Dame liturgies. My criterion of evaluation is authenticity, defined as faithfulness to a transcendent purpose in liturgical performances. The four areas of prayer, singing, participation, and visualization at Notre Dame are first compared to those of Papal Masses, a Protestant celebration, Sunday masses during the pandemic, and the daily 30-min Masses on American television networks. At Notre Dame, all the aspects of the liturgy were choreographed by the rector-master of ceremonies and visualized through theological concepts. The entrance procession was different each week, ranging from only two acolytes and the celebrating bishop to about fifty priests and several bishops. The performance of the choir was adapted to the needs of the weekly liturgies. The participation of the congregation was encouraged by professional singing leaders, and visualization through vertical and horizon images conveyed a sense of pilgrimage toward eternity. Is this a model for the universal Church, or specific to the French Church? The election of a pope from the Global South suggests that Catholicism has moved away from European models toward greater engagement in the world.