Sacristy Bells vs. Entrance Procession

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Haven’t seen sacristy bells - which used to be rung by the server when the priest entered the sanctuary from the sacristy - utilized for many years. I assume this is true because typically the priest / servers / lector now travel from the sacristy to the back of the church in an “informal” manner, then line up, awaiting the music or other cue to begin the entrance procession, which is the signal for the congregation to stand. Are there any rubrics governing the use of sacristy bells in the OF? Does anyone’s parish still use them such that the congregation stands for a minute or two before the actual entrance procession, rising at the point the priest heads to the back of the church before the procession?
 
Our priest uses sacristy bells during weekday masses when there are no servers and no procession. He rings the bells before he steps out of the sacristy into the sanctuary and begins the mass. At these masses there are no sung parts or organ music.

On Sundays and the main mass for holy days the priest along with lectors and servers will typically process down a side aisle and then back down the main center aisle to the altar while the organ is being played and the people are singing the entrance hymn.

I don’t know if there are exact rubrics regarding this, but in the churches I’ve been in for both daily and Sunday masses this seems to be the general pattern.

ChadS
 
In my parish, the sacristy is built into the narthex, so the priest and servers can just process from the narthex into the nave, where one of the servers rings a bell, and that is the cue to begin mass.
 
In my almost 40 years as a Catholic, I’ve never heard of sacristy bells! Thanks for the education. 🙂
 
Our parish has entrance bells, one set at the back of Church for the formal entrances, and the other set at the front side entrance for daily and other less formal entrances. These bells are mounted to the wall and have a chord attached for pulling.
 
My Parish rings the Sacristy bells at each weekday & every Sunday Mass as the Priest, Lector & Altar Servers start to process from the Sacristy. Right after the bell; the Entrance Hymn is sung as they process from the Sacristy to the Sanctuary. If there is no Entrance Hymn sung, the Entrance Antiphon is receited after the bells are rung.
 
The bell always starts the Mass here. On a weekday or Saturday/ Sunday evening Mass the procession starts after a couple of seconds but on Sunday morning the bell is the cue for the entrance hymn to start but the procession doesn’t step off until the singing starts.
 
Our bells are located by the entrance, where the procession starts…its always a treat to the lucky kid who gets to ring them! Then the procession begins.
 
In my parish there is a bell just outside the sacristy, which is located up front next to the sanctuary. The bell is rung just as the priest and altar bells start to enter the sanctuary from the sacristy. Our parish doesn’t do the procession from the back of the church thing.
 
Don’t know about rubrics or anything. But my current parish does have a bell located right outside the sacristy which is rung before every single Mass. On weekdays, he processes straight from the sacristy (which is near the front/altar area) to the foot of the altar and it’s short. For Sunday Masses it’s currently a little funny… in the process of introducing the Entrance Antiphon/Introit, we’re doing both a hymn and Introit, and so the bell is rung and we sing a verse or two of the hymn while they process from the sacristy to the back of the Church. He waits there until we finish the hymn. Then as soon as we start the Introit, he begins the procession from the back to the foot of the altar and so that he can begin Mass.

And it just occurred to me, the parish I grew up in also has a bell, located just inside the sacristy so that it is rung right before each Mass. Actually, it’s only rung before weekday Masses, because on the Sunday Masses, they process from the back and the priest/altar servers either walk to the back from the sacristy (no real procession or anything) or they will walk outside to the back of the Church so that they’re ready to begin at the back.
 
In my parish, the altar servers process to the front of the church, Father goes out the backdoor of the sacristy and they meet in the vestibule with the lectors for a short prayer. Their entrance into the church is the choir’s signal to get ready and Father motions when he’s ready to start the procession.
 
ChadS said:
Our priest uses sacristy bells during weekday masses when there are no servers and no procession. He rings the bells before he steps out of the sacristy into the sanctuary and begins the mass. At these masses there are no sung parts or organ music.
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We have the same at my parish.
 
Crusaderbear said:
Our bells are located by the entrance, where the procession starts…its always a treat to the lucky kid who gets to ring them! Then the procession begins.
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Back in the 50’s, our parish used 5-note chimes, which were a little easier on the ears. Then they were forbidden by the bishop in favor of the bells. Didn’t take as much training, I guess. 😦
 
It’s much the same at our parish church (Wyong, Australia). The bell is rung by the senior server or priest as they walk in to the sanctuary. That is the cue for the congregation to stand up.

I noticed this also at the Vatican. St Peter’s is so large that it often took a minute or two for the priest to arrive after the bell was rung (in the distance). Someone would keep watch and alert us to stand just as the priest arrived from his long walk from the sacristy.

This doesn’t happen when there is a procession like on Sundays and feast days. Everyone stands anyway when the processional hymn begins.
 
Our Cathedral has a sacristy bell which is used for weekday masses (the sacristy isn’t adjacent to the sanctuary). On the other hand my parish has a bell at the back of the Church (used for Sunday masses) which is rung to signal the start of the mass (well the procession / entrance hymn at least).
 
As for us, the sacristy bells are only rung if the commentator does not ask the congregation to rise for the entrance chant…
 
At my parish the sacristy bell is only rung at the beginning of the Tridentine Mass. Otherwise it’s the choir beginning the entrance hymn that gets people to stand.
 
ProVobis said:
Back in the 50’s, our parish used 5-note chimes, which were a little easier on the ears. Then they were forbidden by the bishop in favor of the bells. Didn’t take as much training, I guess. 😦
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Ah yes, I remember the 5-chimes. Never understood why it was discontinued.
 
CJ(name removed by moderator)my said:
At my parish the sacristy bell is only rung at the beginning of the Tridentine Mass. Otherwise it’s the choir beginning the entrance hymn that gets people to stand.
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We have no such bell.

At the Saturday evening Mass, Father, who by this time has been welcoming parishioners at the back of the church for at least 15 minutes, just says “Please stand,” when he’s ready to start the Entrance Procession.

On Sundays he just signals the choir to start the Entrance Chant and people stand when they hear the first few notes.

On weekdays Father enters from the sacristy, in full view of everyone since the door to the sacristy is just next to the sanctuary.
 
zab said:
Our parish has entrance bells, one set at the back of Church for the formal entrances, and the other set at the front side entrance for daily and other less formal entrances. These bells are mounted to the wall and have a chord attached for pulling.
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That’s like my pariahs but it’s rung for every mass
 
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