Altar bells

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Before I entered seminary (which does not use any bells at Mass), my parish used one set of four-bell handbells. They were rung briefly at the epiclisis, and either once or three times at each elevation, depending on the quality of the acolyte’s training. In addition, the tower bell was tolled three times at each elevation if I was there to do it.

There are many types of bells in use, from single “school bells” and the common multiple-bell handset, to single and triple pedestal gongs, tuned German-style high and low handbell sets, electric tubular chimes mounted behind the altar, and even the wall-mounted bell wheels popular in Mexico. Tower bells are also frequently used with, or in place of, altar bells. All are used in many ways for the Glory of God, as well as for the secondary reason of signalling the people at the consecration.

Since the new GIRM mentions that altar bells may be rung according to custom, I am curious to see how different parishes do this, if they use bells at all.
 
I haven’t heard bells rung at any mass for a number of years.

The purpose of the ringing of bells is to alert the faithful of how the mass is progressing, what is happening. Not really necessary in the common situation nowadays where almost everyone present understands the vernacular which the mass is being said.

In a multi-lingual community, the bells should certainly be rung, and the GIRM wisely allows the old custom to continue for the same purpose as it has always been used, to alert the people, who do not understand the priest’s verbal language.
 
Ringing of the bells, signalling the most blessed moments of our earthly life, has been deliberately erased as a custom. During the last 40+ years throughout the majority of parishes, bells were removed in the old “out of sight, out of mind” method (like the tabernacle, kneelers, statues, and the figure of Christ on the Cross). NOW its declared okay to ring the bells if it has been the “custom”. NOW its okay to kneel during Holy Mass, if its been the “custom”. The Tridentine Latin Mass wasn’t to be denied either, but it was and still is. You can go to a Polka Mass but not a Tridentine Latin Mass.

What a living lesson in devious destruction these 40+ years have been by the liberal/modernist heretics. I think its more necessary than ever before to alert the faithful to what is happening - so many haven’t a clue!
 
This was one thing (of many) that attracted me to my current Parish. The bells are rung during the elevation and at the epiclisis. We also use a different bell during lent. On Holy Thursday after the singing of the Gloria, the bells become silent and the altar server who rings the bells quietly takes the bells out of the Sanctuary. From this point a wooden mallet (I keep forgetting what its called) is used. I remember that as a child so it brought back many memories.
 
My Church uses bells. We are the only parish that I know of in this Diocese that offers a Tridentine Mass. It’s a pretty Orthodox parish with only Altar boys,dressed in the traditional albs & surplices(?), no army of Eucharistic Ministers, choir up in a loft behind the congregation singing beautiful music, we bow during the creed. However, the parish I used to belong to wasn’t as Orthodox but they used & still use the bells. I’ve been to other Churches around town & have never seen them.
 
The only time I’ve heard bells rung in the old manner was during daily mass in Wichita Falls. I found a parish near the courthouse that had noon mass that I could get to if we finished our cases early. I had my eyes closed and an older gentleman really let fly with the bells which startled me so badly that I almost fell off the kneeler. It seemed like a fairly conservative parish with a convent attached.

My regular parish only uses bells on special occasions like Easter inside the church. We do ring our tower bells at the daily Angelus times and before each Sunday mass begins. I found it interesting that since our permanent church was finished with the bell towers that many Protestants from the neighborhood have commented to us that they love hearing our bells because it reminds them of years past. Our pastor was actually expecting complaints.
 
It is tradition to use the bells at all Masses…even the weekday ones. Depending on the altar server, we use them at least twice during the elevation of the Body and Blood. If I’m there, it is three times (epiclisis and elevations).
After Holy Thursday’s singing of the Gloria, we do not use our bells, just wooden “clackers”. In fact, our organ is turned off from Thursday’s Gloria until Holy Saturday’s Gloria. The first time I witnessed this, I was very impressed on the devotion my then “new” parish had for the Sacred Triduum.
 
My Parish in Sanford,Mi use 4 handle bells and they only rung it 1 times each time when our priest lifted up the host and wine:)
 
There has been an incremental removal of things of beauty from our churches, whether by yearly hymnals slowly rewording our music, overeducated liturgists trying to subvert the GIRM, the tolerance of cheap banners and bad art in the sanctuary, the discouragement of devotional practices, or simply the dearth of good organists. This has taken its toll on clergy and laity alike.

A personal obervation through my travels is that in the dioceses of northern California and the Pacific Northwest, often thought of as hopelessly “progressive,” most parishes I have visited use altar bells. St. James Cathedral in Seattle and Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver, BC, regularly use them, and Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Portland, OR, uses two sets rung simultaneously. Even a very liberal parish I once visited in Oregon has a sort of tubular chime hanging from a cord. By contrast, in many traditional Midwestern parishes I’ve been to, they haven’t been used for years.

It is true that an important function of bells was to signal the laity to the most sacred parts of the Mass; however, for a hundred years or more before the Novus Ordo was promulgated, people benefited from bilingual missals. If one were paying attention (and most Catholics in those days were arguably better educated in their faith than they are today), one didn’t need bells then either. Any educated Catholic knew what the priest was doing at any part of the Holy Sacrifice. One could also say that in the vernacular Novus Ordo Mass, there are still many people who are either not paying attention or are poorly educated in the faith.

My main argument for the continued use of altar bells is that they glorify God at the high point of the Mass – the Consecration. Unless they are poorly made, they make a beautiful sound to the Lord. In many parts of Latin America, large bottle rockets or mortar-type shells are detonated outside the church at the consecration – I don’t recommend this practice, but it is done so that the town may know that a great miracle has taken place.
 
Hmmm. My novus ordo parish rings bells at he elevation. The sacristan also rings a bell in the sacristy to signal the start of the procession–this can sometimes be heard in the pews, especially on the sacristy side of the church.
 
Like Vox’s, my NO parish uses the bells and almost every parish I’ve ever attended has, too. I did not think it was an uncommon thing.

c
 
My old parish in Minnesota did NOT use bells. My new parish on the east coast DOES use bells. I prefer having bells.
 
In the next town over, the parish uses bells. Our doesn’t, yet. I’m going to gather a few signatures and ask our pastor this week.

🙂
 
The sanctuary bell is something I also like. This is a small, wall mounted bell/bells that are rung to signal the start of Mass. I much prefer hearing the ringing of the sanctuary bell, followed by the opening hymn, than to hear: “Good morning. I am John Smith, your cantor. Let us greet our celebrant, yada,yada,yada.” I donated them to two parishes for use at Mass, and another parish liked them so much that their pastor hung a cord with three bells tied to it on the back wall of the church for this purpose.
 
I miss the bells. What a great way to keep little ones quiet at the most important time in the Mass–listen for the bells!!! 🙂
 
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