Yesterday, we concluded our August First Holy Communion class.  23 of our second graders received our Lord for the first time over the past two Saturdays. The white dresses and the blue suits, not to mention the joy and enthusiasm of 7 year olds and the pride of the family made the event special. In the midst of the pandemic and everything being so different and even odd, Christ remains the same, and receiving Him for the first time is always a memorable blessing for all.

I congratulate and thank the children and their families for their faithfulness to Christ, their patience and allowing us to have a bit of joy during these troubled times. Two very beautiful days were picked for them, the Solemnity of the Assumption and the Queenship of Mary. May our Blessed Mother always watch over these children and give them a deep and abiding love for Her Son in the Eucharist. The rest of the Class of 2020 will receive their First Holy Communion during the Saturdays in October. 
I want to thank Mrs. Lattuca and Mrs. Horgan and the teachers for making the children’s day so wonderful.

The ringing of Church bells is very ancient and quite important. It was St. Paulinus of Nola in Italy, who first introduced bells at a church in the year 400 AD. In 604 AD, Pope Sabinianus officially sanctioned the use of bells inside the Church at Mass, and by early in the Middle Ages ringing could be heard throughout northern Europe.

Sadly, the bells of St. Margaret’s’ have been silenced. The original bell of the original Church of St. Margaret can still be seen in front of the Church. The bronze bell became an electronic bell system. 
In 2008 the system was upgraded. Now in 2020, that system no longer works. We now have to buy and install a whole new system. We have money in the bank from your generous donations to the Renew and Rebuild Campaign. Even though the buying of a new Carillon System was not part of the original campaign, we need to have bells to summon us to Mass and prayer and to announce the death of a fellow parishioner and to rejoice at a marriage and baptism and other joyful occasions within our parish. The system I’m considering is state of the art electronics, new speakers, with many options of bell selection and hymns to be played, etc. The cost will be around $10,000. The system will be guaranteed for 10 years. Hopefully, rather soon, we will hear the Bells of St. Margaret ring out once again.

Although the primary purpose of the bells has traditionally been to alert Catholics in a particular area that Mass time is nearing, they can be heard throughout the day. The Angelus is rung three times a day, at dawn, midday and evening, stopping all work and for at least a minute resting and praying. Some Churches mark the hours of the day and night.

There is a solemn blessing or consecration of the Church bell, it is known as the “baptism of the bell.” The tradition is thought to date to the 8th century but some believe it started earlier. The solemn ceremony consisted of the washing the bell with blessed water, anointing with the Oil of the Sick seven times on the outside and four times on the inside of the bell asking “whoever assembles at its sound may be free from all temptations of the enemy, and ever follow the teaching of the Catholic faith…” After the anointing the bell receives a name. In most churches the “baptized” bronze bells are now replaced by computer chips. I have to admit, although the technology is so good; it is hard to tell the difference.

So when you hear, once again, that ringing in your ear, you are hearing a tradition dating back to the 5th century with a 21st Century technology.