The Bells of St. Lads are ringing again
Sadly, the bells of St. Ladislas Catholic Church in Columbus, Ohio had been silent for several years. After more than fifty years of calling folks to prayer, ...as well as announcing the hours of the day to the neighborhood from dawn till dark... the bells just wore out ... probably from sheer exhaustion. The recently-retired pastor of St. Ladislas (Fr. John Stattmiller) had obviously set a new record for officiating at the most funerals over the past several years. So, the bells of St. Lads had quite a workout over the last dozen years or so ...thanks to lots of new members in the Communion of Saints and one very dedicated priest.
The absence of the sound of these bells was sorely felt..., not only by the parishioners of St. Lads ...but also by many in the neighborhood who appreciated this witness of the faith to this part of the city. Unfortunately, the possibility of immediately fixing or replacing these bells could not be a high priority item for the parish when there were so many other economic challenges to be addressed. Thankfully, a generous benefactor recently came forward with the remaining funds (originally raised during the parish's Centennial celebration in 2008) necessary to bring the bells back to St. Lads and the South Side of Columbus.
The absence of the sound of these bells was sorely felt..., not only by the parishioners of St. Lads ...but also by many in the neighborhood who appreciated this witness of the faith to this part of the city. Unfortunately, the possibility of immediately fixing or replacing these bells could not be a high priority item for the parish when there were so many other economic challenges to be addressed. Thankfully, a generous benefactor recently came forward with the remaining funds (originally raised during the parish's Centennial celebration in 2008) necessary to bring the bells back to St. Lads and the South Side of Columbus.
Absence must truly make the heart grow fonder ...since the sound of the bells never sounded clearer or sweeter. The pealing of church bells can evoke precious memories. One remembers the sound of church bells announcing that a couple had been joined together through the Sacrament of Matrimony. Also brought to mind, are those days when the bells rang out notes of farewell ...or, better yet... “till we meet again” after we celebrated the Mass of Resurrection for one of the faithfully departed. In days before cellphones, the bells also served as a makeshift alarm clock to advise the young folks when it was time to head home for dinner and homework.
In days of old... most church bells operated without electrical assistance of any kind. The bells were rung by young altar servers who would undergo rigorous training, memorizing paragraph after paragraph of prayers in Latin and learning the exact timing of each reverential gesture of the Mass ...just to have the honor of assisting at Mass *and* to have the privilege of ringing the church bells. Though not an easy task for someone who weighed far less than a hundred pounds in those days... it was a job that was sheer joy. To operate those bells, the youngster would have to have to jump as high as he could and with his "oh, too-small hands” ...grab the thick, knotted rope and yank it and his body back down toward the ground. When done properly, the bells rewarded the bell ringer with a ride of a lifetime as he sailed up … up … up towards the rafters of the belfry. One can only imagine the thoughts of the altar boy as he repeatedly soared in the air and tried to make these bells heard in the next county. Of course, there was not as much joy in the task when these same church bells had to be slowly tolled at the end of a funeral Mass. Besides the somber tolling at funerals there was the standard version of bell-ringing reserved to call people to daily Mass and to other key times when the community was called to prayer. A third variation of the bell-ringing theme was for celebrating at Christmas, at Easter ...and whenever there was a wedding. Those events produced more fun for the altar boy that any "E ticket" ride at Disneyland. Though most altar servers today never have the opportunity to take a running leap to clutch the church bell rope... the ringing of church bells still plays a important role in solidifying the presence of the church in the neighborhood.
Without the bells, many parishioners began questioning the future of their church building. Our minds know that "church" is not just a building but rather "church" equates to people gathered together to praise and worship God. Nevertheless hearts still identify with and have strong attachments to the building where we introduced our newborns to our extended family, said our final farewells to family and friends, joined in the ceremonies of many weddings as well as weekly gatherings as a faith community to offer our praise and worship to God. Without the beloved church bells proudly witnessing to the presence of the building and the faith community in this part of the world... it seemed for many that symbolically the lights had been turned off ...or at least dimmed. Those fears of a possible closure of the parish in the near future have now been significantly diminished with the sounds of the bells of St. Lads ringing again.
Without the bells, many parishioners began questioning the future of their church building. Our minds know that "church" is not just a building but rather "church" equates to people gathered together to praise and worship God. Nevertheless hearts still identify with and have strong attachments to the building where we introduced our newborns to our extended family, said our final farewells to family and friends, joined in the ceremonies of many weddings as well as weekly gatherings as a faith community to offer our praise and worship to God. Without the beloved church bells proudly witnessing to the presence of the building and the faith community in this part of the world... it seemed for many that symbolically the lights had been turned off ...or at least dimmed. Those fears of a possible closure of the parish in the near future have now been significantly diminished with the sounds of the bells of St. Lads ringing again.
The video clip (shown below) captures the ringing of the new bells at St. Lads during the noon hour "Angelus”. This call-to-prayer bell-event also occurs at 6:00 p.m. each day. Here are the words to the "Angelus" prayer as it is said during this melody of the bells:
V. The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
V. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
R. Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
ALL: Hail Mary . . .
V. And the Word was made Flesh:
R. And dwelt among us.
ALL: Hail Mary . . .
V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
R. that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
V. Let us pray:
ALL: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
So, the bells of St. Lads are now back ...and once again signaling to the neighborhood, the city and the world that our parish, our church is still here in Columbus serving our neighbor and our God.
