Bells don’t just call people to prayer, they also have a little-known spiritual relevance.
Church bells have been with us since the 5th century and were commonly used in the Middle Ages. They were especially used in monastic communities to call on monks to assemble for prayer in the chapel as, throughout the day, they were in various locations of the monastery. Later, the custom spread more and more among parish churches and the bells were used to call the people to the celebration of the Eucharist, as well as for the recitation of the Angelus during the day.
However, bells also have great spiritual power. When a new bell is installed in a church, it is traditionally “baptized” or “consecrated” by the local bishop or priest. The ancient ceremonies imitated baptism and the current ceremony still requires the use of holy water. The bells are also named after a particular patron saint, although many are named after the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Roman Ritual contains a very solemn blessing …More