The annual Pentecost pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres, a flagship event for Catholic tradition in France, is once again grappling with an unexpected wave of participants. 

Registration opened on Palm Sunday, only to be suspended a few days later and until April 26, due to system overload: too many applications, too quickly. According to the organizers, the pace of registrations is already two to three times faster than last year.

Yet behind this unprecedented enthusiasm — often driven by a religious revival among the youth — lie growing tensions with parts of the institutional Church, which views the resurgence of traditional liturgy with increasing suspicion. 

Contrary to the hopes of organizers and pilgrims alike, by decision of the archbishop of Paris, this year’s pilgrimage will not begin at the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral but instead at St. Sulpice Church.

Exponential Growth Driven by Youth

In an April 17 email communiqué, the lay association Notre-Dame de Chrétienté behind the pilgrimage, announced the temporary halt in registrations until April 26 to reassess capacity. 

“Database limits, payment systems, a swamped secretariat — everything was under intense pressure,” the statement read. Despite planned reinforcements, the organization was caught off guard by the unprecedented demand, two to three times faster than in 2023. Organizers expect to resume registration by the end of April — provided the security quota has not been reached by then.

This development comes as little surprise. In 2023, registration closed by mid-May after hitting the 16,000-participant cap. For 2024, the limit was raised to 18,000, but even so, registration had to close by the end of April.

The phenomenon aligns with a broader trend of religious renewal in France. Already in 2025, a record number of catechumens were baptized at Easter — up 45% from the previous year, largely among young adults age 18 to 24. Ash Wednesday services also saw record crowds. 

In this context, the Chartres pilgrimage continues to occupy a special place in the hearts of faithful from all over the world, drawn by the traditional Latin Mass and the desire for a visible, demanding and incarnate faith.

Tensions With Local Church Authorities

However, this sudden and exponential success has also sparked unease within the episcopate, particularly as bishops seek to implement Pope Francis’ motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, which significantly restricts the use of the old rite.

While 2025 was expected to mark the return of the pilgrimage to the newly reopened Notre Dame Cathedral, the Archdiocese of Paris declined to host the opening Mass there, designating St. Sulpice as the alternative location. Until the 2019 fire, the opening Mass was traditionally celebrated in Notre Dame, following in the footsteps of writer Charles Péguy, whose spiritual journey inspired the Pèlerinage de Chrétienté.

The president of the pilgrimage, Philippe Darantière, claimed in a recent interview that Archbishop Laurent Ulrich told him he “did not want this Mass” — referring to the traditional Latin Mass — held at Notre-Dame. 

Contacted by the Register, the Archdiocese of Paris offered a different account: “No formal request was submitted to the cathedral, and the appeal to the Archbishop came too late, as pilgrimages must be planned several months in advance.” The archdiocese — highlighting that a Latin Mass, in ordinary form, has been celebrated every Sunday at Notre Dame since the reopening — also cited logistical considerations: Despite its prestige, Notre Dame can only accommodate 1,500 people, compared to 2,500 at St. Sulpice, which would complicate logistics so soon after its reopening.

The Closing Mass in Chartres Will Go Ahead

Despite tensions, the closing Mass in Chartres remains confirmed, even as rumors had circulated these past weeks that the Vatican might prohibit it. Bishop Philippe Christory of Chartres has since confirmed he will preside over the final celebration, which will mark the cathedral’s millennium jubilee. 

Pilgrims will pass through the Holy Door opened for the cathedral’s celebration and venerate the relic of the Virgin Mary’s veil, a treasured spiritual emblem of the cathedral. 

The 43rd edition of the Pèlerinage de Chrétienté will be held under the theme: “That He May Reign, on Earth as in Heaven,” in honor of the centenary of Pope Pius XI’s 1925 encyclical Quas Primas. It was a deliberate choice, according to Darantière.

“Christ is King and must reign not only in our hearts, but also over the societies and institutions of the world,” he stated on the association’s website. It is therefore intended not only as a spiritual initiative but also a missionary one to “awaken the consciences of Christians who have fallen asleep.” 

The theme is an intentional statement, according to organizers. “Christ is King and must reign not only in our hearts but also within society and its institutions,” they stated. It is a spiritual and missionary endeavor, aimed at “awakening the consciences of Christians who have grown too drowsy.”

Despite administrative constraints and ecclesial tensions, the pilgrims to Chartres continue to bear witness to a Catholic vitality few would have predicted just a decade ago. This overflow seems to be a sign that, beyond the rampant de-Christianization, a renewal is already looming on the horizon. And that faith, far from fading away, is finding a new breath along the way — one pilgrim step at a time.