On Dec. 8, 2024, the eyes of the world were riveted on Notre-Dame de Paris, restored to its full splendor after five years of painstaking labor. Jean-Baptiste Bonhoure, a member of Blessed Noël Pinot Council 18406 in Béhuard, France, was present at the inauguration in his capacity as president of Ateliers Perrault, the company entrusted with the reconstruction of the nave, choir, and north and south belfries of the 850-year-old cathedral.
But it was the Mass attended a week later by the 1,500 craftsmen who had worked on this enormous restoration project, including 50 skilled carpenters and joiners from his company — a quarter of the workforce — that moved Bonhoure deeply.
“The rebuilding of the cathedral generated incredible enthusiasm within the company,” he said. “It’s not every day you get the chance to work on a building that will outlive you by centuries!”
The project was exceptional in more ways than one. The company, which specializes in the renovation of historic buildings and monuments, relied on digital modeling and design tools, together with the rediscovery of medieval construction methods. Carpenters worked in close collaboration with the foresters, who helped them select some 1,300 oak trees, each one between 150 and 200 years old, to be used in the framework of Notre-Dame’s roof. What’s more, to preserve the grain of the wood and guarantee the sturdiness of the construction, 60 medieval axes were made for squaring the trunks as done in the 13th century.
Notable milestones included the blessing of the logs by the cathedral’s rector; a papal audience in December 2023 when Pope Francis blessed 35 carpenters who had traveled to Rome and personally received an axe from Bonhoure; and, of course, the traditional final gesture, when the company’s youngest craftsman marked the completion of the team’s work in 2024 by placing a bouquet of flowers at the top of the belfry.
“All these highlights will remain engraved in our memories,” affirmed Bonhoure. “Some of our workers experienced it as a journey of conversion; others became more deeply rooted in their faith, and still others saw it as the construction site of their lives, which they will share with their children and grandchildren.”
In his everyday life as not only a craftsman but a husband and the father of six children, Bonhoure’s faith finds a special expression in his devotion to St. Joseph.
“In my office, I have a statue of the saint,” he explained, “and I often leave post-it notes under it with prayer intentions.”
When he’s not busy restoring historic buildings (he previously worked on projects at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace in England) or taking care of his family, Bonhoure participates in his council’s charitable activities. For example, he frequently ventures out with brother Knights on Saturday mornings to encounter and serve homeless people in their community, and he regularly visits prisoners to bring them a glimmer of hope.
For a man of action like Bonhoure, what attracted him to join the Order in 2022 was seeing members put their faith into action through service.
“I joined the Knights to help serve the community,” he said, “while strengthening my Catholic faith with a group of men from all generations.”