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iliiy.iera ol ol ihe j dur-riiurn-al 8 reachedAn Interesting Ceremony.Blessing th* Ball of St. Trinity Catholic Church.Address by the Bishop of Ylscennei.• — #■ ■ -SOME ACCOUNT OF THE CHURCH.HiNlory of Bella The Ur erst Bella of the World.The edifice for tho ubo of St. Trinity Church was partially erected some ton years ago, hut in consequence of some defect in the construction of the walls it i* as never completed until the present eeaaou, and in tact is not yet fully fiuisbed, although suffi cieutly so for the comfort of ita worshippers. The main buildiug is OOxlUO feet, with a steeple risiug 105 feet from the ground, the base ot the steeple forming the vestibule of tho church, aud of the gothic style of architecture. The steeple is by Ur the handsomest in the city, and appears to have been designed with some degree of taste, and is not, as ia usually tho case, a thing put up with the design of adding height and cost without purpose. The body of the building and tbe gallery is capable of sealing about 1,000 persons. The interior finish the church isstnccoed in imitation of freeHione, and the ceiling in while, gothic in style, with drops pendant from the arches, giving it a massive appearance. The altars and decorations areot a superior character, and in keeping with the churches of this denomination, and are gotten up with great taste. The entire cost of the building is near $30,000 (including tho losses sustained hi the delay of its completion). Us erection and completion re-He-jts great credit upon tho congregation who worship within its walls, who for tho most part ore uativee of Ireland, or are of Irish extraction. Theso people have certainly manifested a great deal of real in tin. ishing this building, when we take iuto consideration the many difficulties by which they were surrouuded. Our citizens will recollect that this enterprise was commenced while the Rov. Father Neyron was official ing as priest of the church, and to bim,iu a great measure, may be ascribed the prosper iiy of this congregation, as by his many virtues he endoarod himself not only to his own people, but with all with whom be came in contact. The Rev. Father Monzin is at present tho pastor, and is a gentlemau of known piety and zeal, and appears to have the entire conlideuce of bis Hock.Uu yesterday morning, the day being tho Feast of tho lloly Name, tho ceremony of •'Blessing the Bell'1 was performed, previous to its being hoisted to its place in the belfry, Ly Rt. Rev. Maurice Le St. Falais, Bishop of Vincennes, assisted by Kov. Fathers Man-tariol, of Louisville, Panzer, of St. Joseph's Church, Clark couuty, Ind., aud Moozin, pastor of St. Trinity. The ceremony was porformod in tho baio of the belfry, aud with all the solemnity and forms peculiar to the church. Thoso ceremonies are imposing in their character, and are calculated to in-epiro all true Catholics with reverence for any and everything over which they have been perlormed, and we belicvo that all and everything connected with tho church must be consecrated and sot apart by its priests including tho simplest article of furniture. Tho ceremony is sometimes called the baptism of bells, from tho fact that they are washed with holy water. It is a mistake however, to suppose that tho lorm of baptism is used Chrisui and oil aro usod in the ceremony of benodiction. Aftor tho conclusion of the consecration aud an anthem of praise by tho choir, Bishop Do St. Palais ad-dretmod the largo audience that had assembled on tlic occasion.lio congratulated tho peoplo upon their success in erecting and decorating theirfoor hundred pounds, and cost one thousand dollars. It is the largest boll in the city, and gives forth a full, rich tono.We ean not close this notice without paying a compliment to the choir of tbe church and their organ, which is an excellent one. The performances of the ohoir are equal i( not superior to any we have heard in this oily, and its members deserve great credit for tho rendering of tho anthems aud chanis yesterday, and also the gentleman who pre sides at the organ.A short chapter on bells, their origin, history, and use, may not be inappropriate in this place. The use of bells is very ancient We find them among Jews, Greeks, Ro mans, Christians, and heathens. Singularly enough, however, no trace of bells is found in the mouutueuu of the Egyptians, tho most cultivated of ancient people. The use of bells is spoken of iu Exodus xxviii—33, 34. They were worn on tbe tunic of tho high priest, and were intended to give notice when he entered and came out of tbe holy place. The tinkling of a bell at the elevation of tbe host in the sacrament of tho mass founded upon this circumstance. Thorooildodcr*HiISStWiJlClt;AthcaVIfirst application ot bells for calling the peo pie to divine worship is attributed toPaulmus bishop of Nola, a city of Campania, about the year 400. In England they were ap plied to church purposes before tho end of the seventh century, in the monasteries of Northumbria. In Scotlaud they wore used still earlier. When they were introduced into Ireland, wo have no mean* n| ascertaining. Tbe Greek Christians arc usually supposed to have been unocqoaiuted with tho use of bolls till tbo ninth ceDtury, and upon the taking of Constantinople iu tbo fifteenth con-tury, the Turks prohibited their use, alleging that their noise would disturb the repose ol souls wandering in tbe air, but really probably because they might be ueed to call the Christians together in case of civil disturbances. Tbe Mohammedans do not use bells to this day, a muezzin calling tho people to prayer from tho miuarats of tho mosques.Anciently the use of bells was prohibited in times of mourning, but at present tho tolling of them forms ouo of tbo principal cere-moniee of interment. Mabillon says that it was au ancient custom luring bolls for persons about to expire, to advertise the people to pray for them. The passing bell,indeed, was anciently rung for two purpose*, ono to bespeak the prayers ol'all good Christians for the soul just departing; the other to drive away tho evil spirits supposed to stand near tbo hod of tho dying, or about the bouse, ready to seize tbeir prey, or at least to molest and terrify the soul iu its passage. Whatever influence hells may have hud on tbo spirits, it is quite certain that in the wars between the Turks and the Christians, the latter frequently made uso of them to fright en away their euemiea, and sometimes with success.Russia exceeds all other nations in its fondness for bells. In Moscow, aloue, before (he revolution, there wero over seventeen bund re J large bells, thirty seven of them beiug in a single tower. Ouo was so largo that it required twenty-four men to ring it, which was done by pulling tho clapper. Its weight is estimated al 298,000 pounds. Tho greut bell cast by order of the Empress Anne in 1653, and now lying broken upon tbo ground, weighs 443,772 pouuda It is 19 feet high, and measures around the margin 63 feet 11 inches. It is not known whether ibis bell waa ever hung. It has been consecrated ns a chapel, whom tbo devout useemblo in lorge numbers. The bells of Moscow, whon ringing in Easter wook, produce a mo»t wonderful impression on the listener who hears them for the first time. Noxt to Russia, China possesses the largest bells in the world. In Pekin are seven, each weighing 120,000 pounds. In the Cathodral of Paris is a bell weighing 38,000 pounds, placed there i» • ■-thhiIntLStillall»PofOeInretneor.crliel\Glpi iaeiWforbySkscicdiorculdu.therafbigmilmuceunotnotofctheingPa,agsFrea S'cleiupoauggiv.theAft:house of
Newspaper Details
New Albany Daily Ledger
New Albany, Indiana, US
Mon, Sep 11, 1865
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
New A.
Indiana, USA 29 Nov 2016
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