Notre Dame University pledges $100,000 toward Paris cathedral renovation

The University of Notre Dame in Indiana will donate $100,000 toward the renovation of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following a devastating fire, the university president said Tuesday.

The Rev. John Jenkins announced the donation a day after the fire destroyed the cathedral’s spire and roof.

Jenkins says the bells of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the university’s campus will toll 50 times Tuesday evening, to represent the 50 Hail Marys of the rosary and mark the start of the Paris cathedral’s rebuilding.

Jenkins says the cathedral’s “exquisite Gothic architecture has for centuries raised hearts and minds to God. We join in prayer with the faithful of the cathedral and all of France as they begin the work of rebuilding.”