|
Volume 32, Number 4 |
Richardton, ND 58652 |
October 2004 |
The Bells of St. Mary's
by John Gengler
Steeplejack Dustin Kolling of Kolling and Kolling Construction removes the cross from one of the towers. Two cranes were required to handle the ornate pieces, which are soon to be gilded. Meanwhile, repair of towers is proceeding apace.
Remember the painting “The Angelus” by J.F. Millet, in which farmers in a field of grain pause from their toil for a moment of prayer? For centuries, Catholics traditionally stopped for prayer when the Angelus bell rang three times daily in the neighborhood church. Although the Angelus is no longer part of our daily lives, church bells are as popular as ever throughout Christendom. Whether announcing a church service or signaling some special event or occasion, there is something in the chime of a church bell that awakens memories and emotions in all of us.
The west tower of the Abbey/St. Mary's Church houses three magnificent bells whose tones have pealed soulfully over the North Dakota prairies since 1907.
The original plans of church architect Anton Dohmen called for four bells in the tower, weighing respectively 2,750, 1,600, 800 and 350 lbs. The bells were hoisted up into the tower by ropes and pulleys, with the larger bells fastened to six by ten inch beams and the smaller two by six by eights. The two smaller bells were to sit above the larger two, all in the west tower. But for some reason, probably for cost saving, only three bells were suspended in the tower and all on the same level. However, there are still other six by tens lying loose in the tower, maybe waiting for the fourth bell.
Tradition has it that church bells are named and blessed, almost like a baptism. The largest bell in the Abbey/St. Mary's Church is appropriately named in honor of the Blessed Virgin. Cast by the F.Y. Stuckstede Bell Foundry Co., of St. Louis, Missouri, it is 44 inches in diameter and weighs 1,900 lbs. Inscribed on the side of the bell are these words: “In Honorem Beatae Mariae Virginis in Memoriam Anniversarii XXV Sacerdotii Abbatis Vincentii Wehrle” (In honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary in memory of the 25th anniversary of ordination of Abbot Vincent Wehrle). The Blessed Virgin bell was blessed during a special Mass on June 5, 1907, with Abbot Vincent and Bishop Shanley of Fargo officiating at this festive event. (There was no Diocese of Bismarck at that time; Abbot Vincent became the first Bishop of Bismarck in 1910.)
St. Joseph and St. Benedict respectively are the names of the smaller bells, with St. Joseph weighing in at one half ton and measuring 35 inches in diameter, while St. Benedict weighs 400 lbs. and is 26 inches in diameter. These two were also cast at the Stuckstede Foundry. Together the three bells add 3,300 lbs. to the weight of the west tower, but the engineers and architects of the time secured them safely for the ages.
Monastic legend has it that Bro. Meinrad Dillier (professed 1906) was sacristan and official bell ringer in the early days of the abbey and parish. Fr. Victor Feser translated pages of German script, most likely written by Bro. Meinrad, giving specific, detailed directions for ringing the bells throughout the day. It seems the set of protocols for the bell ringing varied from church to church, and monastery to monastery.
At St. Mary's Abbey (it was St. Mary's until 1924, and became Assumption Abbey in 1928), the bells were rung in the early morning “for Lauds and Prime, the 1st and third bell are rung together for 3 minutes. The 1st and 2nd bell together for 3 minutes as the first signal for High Mass, at 9:30, the 3rd bell for three minutes; the second bell for the High Mass at 10:00 with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd bells together for three minutes.” This is just a small portion of the directions. It seems the bells were rung at least ten times daily, including three times for the Angelus, but also for every portion of the monastic prayer schedule. Bro. Meinrad returned to his native Switzerland in 1924 when the Abbey closed due to financial difficulties.
Bro. Aloysius Fuchs assumed the bell ringer role in 1928 upon the reopening of the Abbey. According to his instructions, special bell ringing was necessary upon the death of a monk. If it was the abbot, “the two larger bells will ring for half an hour, with two interruptions; for a priest, only the larger bell for half an hour with two interruptions; for a cleric (a monk studying for the priesthood) or lay brother, the second bell for one quarter of an hour.” It seems rank in the monastery determined the length of ringing time of the bells, as well as which bells announced the death of a monk. Bro. Philip Kress became the bell ringer when Bro. Aloysius died in 1954, and he faithfully pulled those bell ropes for nearly thirty years. In the last twenty years, the younger brothers, starting with Bro. Llewellyn Kouba, have rung the bells for monastic liturgies. Recently, Fr. Thomas Wordekemper has been the official bell ringer.
Although electronic carillons have replaced bells in many churches across the land, there is still something special about the true ring of a church bell. There is no difficulty distinguishing the tones of the real bells as opposed to the carillon. A deep, full, colorful peal tickles the ear as the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph and St. Benedict announce to all within hearing distance that a special occasion is occurring at the Abbey/St. Mary's Church. Here at the Abbey/St. Mary's Church, a carillon announces the Angelus at 7:00 a.m., noon and 6:00 p.m. It also rings every quarter hour and chimes the hours on the hour. But at first and second Vespers and Mass on all solemnities, which are special and holydays, the real bells are rung. Since there are about 25 solemnities each year, the bells are rung about 75 times annually.
Today as I write this article (mid-
(Information for this article was found in the Abbey Archives by archivist Fr. Denis
Fournier. The details regarding Bros. Meinrad Dillier, Aloysius Fuchs and Philip
Kress appeared in an article by Bro. Victor Frankenhauser for an in-
