Today, I offer a few thoughts on the use of bells in our churches. I’m sure you’ve noticed that both of our churches have bell towers. These are typically rung a few minutes before the start of Sunday Mass, for the purpose of alerting the community that the Mass is about to begin. Catholic or not, our neighbors hear the bells ring out and they are reminded that something important is happening. God is about to come down among us, again, in Holy Communion!

In Stanley, our bells also ring at other times during the day. During daylight hours, a bell tolls out the hour and marks the half-hour. At noon, and six o’clock in the evening, the bells also toll a number of times and then let loose in a more dramatic “peal” of bells that lasts for some time. It’s actually quite loud. This is a reminder to the faithful of the entire community to pray a prayer called the Angelus or, during the Easter Season, the Regina Coeli. These prayers are traditionally prayed every day at six o’clock in the morning, at noon, and again at six o’clock in the evening. We don’t ring the bells at six o’clock in the morning, as we want to stay on good terms with our neighbors!

As you hear the bells ringing out at those times, you’re encouraged to stop what you’re doing and pray the Angelus. It’s a short prayer and you can find it in just about any collection of Catholic prayers. In essence, the Angelus is a celebration of a central event in human history: the moment the Archangel Gabriel visited Mary and “she conceived by the Holy Spirit” after consenting, “be it done unto me according to thy word.” The prayer also asks God to “pour fourth … thy grace into our hearts, that we … may be brought to the glory of his resurrection.” The Angelus provides us with a great way to stay close to our faith throughout the day. Three times a day we are invited to stop, ponder the mystery of the Incarnation, and to call to mind the goal of our life: heaven and the resurrection.

Another time we hear bells in our churches, of course, occurs during the Mass itself. The altar servers traditionally ring the “sanctus” bells several times during the Mass. The first time is at the epiclesis, the prayer during the Mass in which the priest asks God to send the Holy Spirit down upon the gifts of bread and wine, that they may become the Body and Blood of Jesus. As the priest prays this prayer, he lowers his hands over the bread and wine. This sound serves to call wandering minds back to attention. Something important is about to happen at the altar!

The second time the bells are rung at Mass is when the priest raises the Host. No longer bread, it is then the true Body of Jesus. The bells remind everyone to look at our Lord and adore. Traditionally, the bells are rung in three short bursts, perhaps to remind us that Triune (three-in-one) God is now present.

The third time the bells are rung at Mass is when the priest raises the chalice for all to see. At that moment, it contains no longer wine, but the true Blood of Jesus Christ. The bells are again rung in three short bursts.

The fourth time the bells are rung at Mass is immediately after the priest consumes the Precious Blood of Jesus. This is a brief reminder that the Sacrifice of the Mass has now been consummated. The Lamb of God has been consumed. This involves one, brief ringing of the bell.

Use of the sanctus bells and the larger bells in our bell towers are entirely optional. But the ringing of bells is a beautiful, and I would say “evangelical” tradition. The sound of our church bells echoing across the landscape remind everyone that something important is happening, that God has not abandoned us.

He is still with us, and that we can seek out the location of those ringing bells and find the Lord.

They also help us to enter into the liturgy more fully. If we are distracted, bells pull us back to attention at key moments.

Bells are a part of our Catholic heritage, and I’m happy we have them here in our churches.

T-Shirts for sale

Anyone interest in purchasing T-Shirts ($5.00) from the 5K Fun Run please contact Sally at the church office. All proceeds go to the Youth fund.

Youth

2 mediums

4 large

Adults

9 smalls

2 mediums

5 larges

St. Mary’s Catholic Church Annual Fall Roast Beef Dinner

St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Foxholm will be hosting it’s Annual Roast Beef Dinner on Sunday, October 1st from 11:00AM to 3:00PM. Roast beef, mash potatoes and gravy, corn, coleslaw, rolls, coffee and apple or pumpkin pie will be served homestyle. Raffle Tickets will be sold, Delicious homemade Pie sales and To-go dinners are available.

Adults: $10.00

Ages 7- 12 $5.00

Ages 3 – 6 $3.00

Catholic Charities Sunday is the one day each year all parishes are asked to come together to celebrate and support the "Social Arm of the Church." This year atholic Charities North Dakota Sunday has been set by our Bishops for the weekend of September 23-24 in both the Bismarck and Fargo Dioceses. The past two years have seen increases in demand for and use of our services. While more people are becoming aware of our programs through Catholic Charities Sunday and other efforts, it is more important than ever to continue raising awareness to reach out to the suffering in our state. Families have decided to adopt a child after seeing our video. Others found courage to seek the counseling they desperately needed. Your gifts ensure we can help