Those Bells?

[The_Serpent]

What is the current liturgical practice for bells during Mass? They used then often in the past at the beginning of Mass, and at the elevation.

 

[Celtic_Maiden]

What is the current liturgical practice for bells during Mass? They used then often in the past at the beginning of Mass, and at the elevation.

It depends on the Country, when in England they use the Church bells, but will use the bells ( the small ones) at the elevation of the Host, unless your in a Monastery with a lot of grounds they ring the main bells generally. [edited]

 

[Allegra]

We have external bells before Mass. The altar boys use the chapel bells during the Eucharist.

 

[TigerKitty]

We used to attend an abbey where they would use the bells as a call to silence before the liturgy would start. It was a nice practice that reminded us to settle our thoughts and minds before mass started. Of course, this was “outside” of the liturgy, but it was impressive and set a very reverent tone for the rest of the mass.

 

[thequietsinger]

As others have said, it really depends on where you are. Where I first went to a Catholic church, they rang the chapel bell 5 minutes before Mass began. There was always a girl named Mackenzie who would ring the Eucharist bell during the consecration, I believe.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

Of the two parishes I’m close to, one pastor always has the altar servers ring the bells at the elevations, and the other pastor does not.

 

[thequietsinger]

I’m sorry, I meant elevation, not consecration

 

[Peggy_in_Burien]

When I was young, in the last century, I was taught that the bells were used in the days of large churches and no electronic speakers, to call attention to the Consecration during the Mass. People couldn’t see well or hear well what was being said, if they were at the back of the church.

The same was said about the Sanctuary Bell that was rung upon the entrance of the priest into the Sanctuary at the beginning of Mass.

 

[Brendan]

Any bells rung prior to the beginning of Mass are extraliturgical and this not regulated.

As far as within the liturgy (OF), bells may be rung at the Epiclesis, and both Major Elevations and, according to local custom, when the priest communicates.

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

As far as indoor bells go, the bell which would be sounded at the beginning of Mass is usually a wall-mounted sacristy bell, to signal the beginning of the procession. Like tower bells, there is no liturgical regulation on indoor bells except for local custom. Altar bells, likewise, may be used at the points indicated in the GIRM (Epiclesis and elevations), but are not forbidden to be sounded at the priest’s communion. One ring or three rings is left to the local custom.

As far as the bells themselves go, most are either single bells or clusters of from three to six, but some older churches have electric tubular chimes or mushroom-shaped gongs (and I don’t know whether the earlier prohibition on gongs referred to these or to oriental-style gongs). Many churches will also peal or toll one of the outdoor bells during the Consecration.

The purpose of all of these, of course, was not simply as a signal to those who could not see the liturgical action, but primarily as an expression of joy and beauty. God commanded Moses to sew tiny bells into the hem of the priestly garment, and likewise, the major feasts and celebrations were heralded by the blowing of the shofar.

 

[MorEphrem]

As far as within the liturgy (OF), bells may be rung at the Epiclesis, and both Major Elevations and, according to local custom, when the priest communicates.

This. It just confuses me why most Latins I speak to don’t know bells are to be wrung at the epiclesis. I’ve served the OF many times before and someone asked me if I didn’t know that in “‘our religion’ * we only ring them twice.” *

 

[elgar]

The purpose of all of these, of course, was not simply as a signal to those who could not see the liturgical action, but primarily as an expression of joy and beauty. God commanded Moses to sew tiny bells into the hem of the priestly garment, and likewise, the major feasts and celebrations were heralded by the blowing of the shofar.

Sorry to say you’d be hard pressed to find many Sanctus bells in Catholic churches around this Midwest liturgical wasteland. The “Spirit of V2” hogwash the most likely culprit explaining how we don’t go for that medieval stuff anymore along with boring you with cleaning our dirty dishes after communion.

With more EF masses popping up, those bells just might have to re-appear.

 

[dshix]

When I was young, in the last century, I was taught that the bells were used in the days of large churches and no electronic speakers, to call attention to the Consecration during the Mass. People couldn’t see well or hear well what was being said, if they were at the back of the church.

The same was said about the Sanctuary Bell that was rung upon the entrance of the priest into the Sanctuary at the beginning of Mass.

At my parish we have a bell in the Church tower which is rung by one of the choir members at the consecration.

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

Sorry to say you’d be hard pressed to find many Sanctus bells in Catholic churches around this Midwest liturgical wasteland. The “Spirit of V2” hogwash the most likely culprit explaining how we don’t go for that medieval stuff anymore along with boring you with cleaning our dirty dishes after communion.

With more EF masses popping up, those bells just might have to re-appear.

Sorry to hear that. Out here in the Pacific Northwest, most parishes use altar bells, and many of them have started using them again after many years without.