Rachel Conroy at La Tour Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower, from Pont d'Lena spanning the Seine River	The view just two blocks from our hotel, Les Jardins d' Eiffel, or The Eiffel Gardens	Sainte Chapelle, the royal, or upper chamber of the church within the confines of Louis XIV's palace, which now is the Ministry of Justice
Quasimodo, anyone? Notre Dame du Paris, built over a period of 135 years during the 13th and 14th centuries	Andy Nygard in the famous 1867 cafe', La Brasserie Mollard, where lunch was provided for us on Wednesday

Both churches are situated on Ile de la Cite', or Isle of the City, the original settlement of Paris during the Roman period. Then it was known as Gaul, or Gaulle. Latin remained the official city language well into modern times. Napoleon Bonaparte instituted many changes, including a switch to French as La Lingua Franca, in the 1790's.
People from around the world flock to Notre Dame to hear the Latin mass, a practice never quite suspended there despite Vatican II's reforms in the 1960's. Today, especially with the official return of Ecclesiastical Latin, there is a resurgence of Latin in the city. The oldest section of the city on the river bank is called La Quarture Latin.

The spiritual basis of modern Paris is sensed everywhere, in the church bells ringing, the monument and street names, the stained glass, the historical record of the French people, and the current government's form. We look forward to sharing that tradition of Libertie, Equalitie, Fraternitie' through our presentation of Christian music.

As always, your prayers for this mission are most welcome.
-Choir reportier du jour, Philippe Lyon Avecroi, Philip L. Conroy

Friday, March 29

Dear family and friends,
Just a few more shots before Calvary (Fort Worth, TX) and Trinity Lutheran (Lindstrom, MN) church choir members depart Paris for the south of France. Enclosed are images taken by Rachel over the past two days.
We are thinking of you, but also enjoying the camaraderie and "but, of course" the cuisine. Weather has been spectacular - clear blue skies, wind calm, temperature 35 F at night and near 50 during the day.

Our concert location, St. Jean Lutheran Church, Paris	Typical 18th-century architecture, post-Gothic style. Is it Romanesque, or Roccoco?	Rachel and Dad on summit of Eiffel Tower Tuesday evening
Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb, taken by Rachel this afternoon

Rachel's bag finally arrived yesterday afternon (Wed) following a re-route from DFW to Sao Paolo, Brazil, then to New York JFKand finally Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.  She is thankful for it.  We were about to start buying clothes.

Last evening was our second practice with the Lutheran folks from Minnesota, a fine bunch.  Our venue is La Eglise Sainte Jean, a quaint, Gothic Lutheran church on Rue de Grenelle, near La Tour Marbourg, about 1 km from the Eiffel Tower.  The final warm-up before Thursday's concert is this afternoon.  Friday morning we depart for points south, however the weather should not warm up significantly.  Forecasts are for 5-8 degrees C with intermittent rain.  But it is pleasant.  No wind so far.  Everyone is nice.