The bells of St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church in Madison will soon be ringing again.
Five bells were blessed and rechristened by Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison on January 5, for the future diocesan cathedral, and although it was bitterly cold, a small contingent of parishioners braved the day’s high of 16 degrees Fahrenheit to witness the special dedication.
Bishop Hying said that it was “exciting to bless the bells” for those gathered.
Assisted by Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia Fr. Tait Schroeder and Pastor Fr. Michael Radowicz, Bishop Hying presided over the outdoor bell blessing, which immediately followed the church’s 10 a.m. Mass.
Additionally, both deacons in residence at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church, retired Deacon Tim Reilly from the Diocese of Green Bay and Director of the Permanent Diaconate Program Deacon Christopher Schmelzer, assisted with the Mass and blessing.
Naming each bell
An important aspect of the christening liturgy is the name each bell receives when it is christened.
The five to be used at the future diocesan cathedral have each been previously christened.
Two of the five bells originate from the former Cathedral of St. Raphael in Madison, and the other three are from St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church in Madison.
Mary, Mother of Hope and St. Bernard of Clairvaux are the names of the two bells taken from the former cathedral.
Since 2005, those two bells have been kept in storage to be used in a future project.
Thankfully, both of St. Raphael’s bells are now back in use.
The three bells original to St. Bernard Church are named Mary, Mother of the Church; St. Joseph; and St. John the Evangelist.
On December 10, a construction team led by Chair of the Diocesan Building Commission Paul Lang removed those bells from St. Bernard’s tower.
One at a time, the bells were lifted out of the tower by crane and placed on a heavy-duty trailer.
Then they were transported so they could be cleaned and prepared for rechristening.
Of the five bells themselves, three are smaller and two are very large.
The large bells are Mary, Mother of Hope and St. Joseph.
The smaller are Mary, Mother of the Church, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and St. John the Evangelist.
The five will work together in a newly constructed peal, and in February, the bells are scheduled to be placed back inside St. Bernard’s tower.
‘Let all evil spirits be driven afar’
When the bells were rechristened, Bishop Hying, after anointing each bell with Sacred Chrism, sprinkling the bells with holy water, and blessing them with incense, prayed over each bell using a christening prayer.
Bishop Hying prayed, “God, we pray that these bells destined for your holy Church may be hallowed by the Holy Spirit through our lowly ministry, so that when they are tolled and rung, the faithful may be invited to the house of God and to the everlasting recompense. Let the people’s faith and piety wax stronger whenever they hear its melodious peals.”
And over each corresponding bell he prayed, “At the sound of the bell dedicated to Mary, Mother of the Church, let all evil spirits be driven afar.
“At the sound of the bell dedicated to Mary, Mother of Hope, let all evil spirits be driven afar.
“At the sound of the bell dedicated to St. Joseph, let all evil spirits be driven afar.
“At the sound of the bell dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, let all spirit evil spirits be driven afar.
“At the sound of the bell dedicated to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, let all evil spirits be driven afar.
“Let thunder and lightning, hail and storm be banished. Let the power of your hand put down the evil powers of the air, causing them to tremble at the sound of these bells and to flee at the sight of the Holy Cross engraved thereon. May our Lord Himself grant this, who overcame death on the gibbet of the Cross and who now reigns in the glory of God, the Father, in the unity of the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.”
After the blessing, Bishop Hying quipped, “You’ll always remember blessing the bells in the cold,” to the those that had braved the weather.
For more information and to support the project, visit madisoncathedral.org.