Blessing of the Bells

Saints Peter and Paul’s bell tower houses three bells that ring regularly at scheduled hours of the day—reminding us of the time, but also of our call to pray throughout each day. 

From the earliest times, bells were named and their inscriptions were written in the first person, as if the bells were speaking.

The three bells of Saints Peter and Paul not only call to prayer, but also have a story to tell. Although its original four bells were destroyed when the church burned down on Pentacost Sunday 1922, the bronze was salvaged and recast into two bells erected when the parish was rebuilt. Those bells were restored in 2013, along with a new third bell, which was also cast that same year.

Saints Peter and Paul remains eternally grateful for the substantial posthumous bequest made by Cecelia and Magdalen Hatch. The tower bells were restored and a new bell cast through their loving generosity. The six-figure donation provided the resources to manufacture the Mother of God bell, as well as cover bell tower costs, including structural reinfocements and crane expenses. Their legacy calls the faithful to worship each time the bells ring—past, present, and future.

Saints Peter and Paul (historic)

Inscription  “I, having been destroyed by the terrible fire, have arisen in honor of the princes of the apostles to call the faithful, 1922.”

St. Bernard (historic)

Inscription  “The pastor commanded that I be made in honor of St. Bernard 1922. Time flies. Death comes. Come ye faithful.”

Mother of God (new)

Inscription  “When the bells were restored again, I, having been cast anew in honor of the Mother of God, call souls to magnify the Lord. The Solemnity of the Annunciation in the 2013th year of our Lord, the year of faith.”

Bishop Joseph Siegel blessed the restored St. Bernard bell, as well as the new Mother of God bell, following the 9:30 a.m. celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist on Sunday, February 17, 2013. The bells rang for the first time on Easter Sunday 2013.

Click here to read more about the bells of Saints Peter and Paul. Click here to see a video of the 2013 Blessing of the Bells.