APEX – Mary, Andrew and Francis are chiming in. They’re the new bells at St. Andrew the Apostle Church and were welcomed this summer to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the parish.
“Traditionally, bells are named,” wrote Father John Durbin, pastor, in a December 2023 letter to his parishioners. “We have chosen Mary for the largest, as she is queen of the apostles, Andrew, the first-called of the apostles and our patron saint, and Francis, in honor of the Franciscan friars of the Atonement who founded the parish.”
He went on to explain that each bell has two areas, or sides, which carry information. One contains the memorialization and naming from the donor; the other contains an inscription.
Those inscriptions are:
- Mary – “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (Lk 1:46)
- Andrew – “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:41)
- Francis – “Praise & Bless the Lord and give Him thanks …” (Canticle of Creatures)
The bells are hung from black, steel arches that feature St. Andrew crosses at the top The structure rests on a brick base.
Paul Echausse, a member of the church’s pastoral council, studied bells and their impact on college campuses as well as their place in nostalgia. In each case, he said, the bells transformed communities.
“A bell is not a bell. What I mean by that is that church bells connote much more than the physical structure and their tonal quality. They are instruments of God’s presence in our lives by reminding us, through their resounding tone, that God is always with us. Calling us to gather as a community … and set aside time for him,” Echausse said in a video featured on the parish’s website.
A $300,000 fundraising effort was conducted for the project by the parish, which donated 20 percent of the money raised to the Brown Bag Ministry.
The bells were blessed June 15. Father Durbin said, “These bells will call us to prayer, announce our joy as they peal for joyous events and major feasts, and toll as we mourn, sending beloved members of this community back to the God who created them. My prayer this day is that they will be a blessing and proclaim a blessing to all who hear them.”
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