BLESSING ST. STEPHEN'S BELL. - Brisbane - QLD - Australia - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

The ceremony of blessing the large bell pre-
sented to St. Stephen's Cathedral by Mrs.
Kelly, was performed yesterday afternoon by
the Bishop in the presence of a large number of
people. It is the custom in the Catholic Church
to bless all things connected with public
worship, and the bell holds a very important
place, as its sound is intended to replace the
ancient cursor, an ecclesiastical functionary of
primitive Christian times, whose chief duty
was to warn the faithful of the hours of divine
service. With the passing away of the
persecutions of those who were faithful to the church
the functions of the cursor
ceased to a great extent, and
were transferred to the church bell, which has
ever since been the means of calling the faithful
togother. The ceremonial employed in blessing
the bell appears to have been at first different
in the several dioceses of Catholic
Chirstendom, each for centuries having its own
ritual and several of these rites are still pre-
served and tolerated by the Holy See. The
Roman ceremonial is the one more generally
used, as in Australia many new dioceses have
adopted it, and many others in foreign countries
have lost their own rites by desuetude
As carried out at St. Stephen's yesterday, the
Roman ceremonial was a very impressive one.
Tho procession started from the sanctuary
precisely at 3.30 pm, the Rev. J. Breen
bearing the cross in front. After him came
tho acolytes, the first pair bearing lighted
candles, and tho next the thurible and incense
boot. Archbishop Dunne, accompanied by the
Rev J Lonergan, of Dalby, as deacon, came
last. Tho procession filed down the nave of
the cathedral, and leaving by the western
door, proceeded round the northem side of the
church to the rear of the girls' school, where the
bell and the temporary belfry are situated.The
service was commended by the Archbishop and
clergy reciting alternate verses of certain pre-
scribed Psalms, and the Archbishop then
proceeded to bless salt and water. In
this blessing the Church asks of God that
the power of the Holy Spirit may occupy
the water, in order that the sound of
tho bell, after it has been sprinkled by it,
should keep away all that could harm or ter-
rify, such as phantoms, storms, lightning,
thunder, winds, and tempests, so that the sound
of the bell, reaching the ears of Christians
may increase their devotion and bring them
closer to the Church. The Archbishop, having
mixed the salt and water, laved therewith the
interior and exterior of the bell. He then
annointed it inside and out with the sacred
oils, and read certain prayers, in which the
Church recalls the fact that God ordered Moses
to make silver trumpets, with which the priests
should invite the people to adoration and
(sacrifice, or, by different sound, should
excite them to war and render them victorious.
In this prayer, the Church also asks God to
grant that the instrument, made for Holy
Church, may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit,
in order that its sound may herald faith and
hope in the hearts of its hearers, temper the
winds and thunders, and chase away the
powers of the air, by the cross of Jesus
Christ which is thee imprinted. The Cele-
brant also asks the bell, having been conse-
crated like the vessels of the altar, that the
faithful who may be invited by the signal it
shall give, may be delivered from the the tempta-
tions ot the enemy, and may always follow
the teachings of the Catholic faith. The deacon
then sang a portion of the Gospel of the mass of
Our Lady's Assumption, after which the Arch-
bishop made the sign ot the cross over the bell,
and the procession retired in the order in which
it came out. Mr P. W. Crowe acted as god
father, and Miss Mary Shannon as godmother
to the bell. The ceremony was conducted by
tho Rev. Father Fou hey, and is one of those
that can only be performed by Bishops, except
in certain special cases.
The bell itself is of very large size, weighing
nearly 2tons, and once consecrated, it cannot
be used for any but sacred purposes. It was
cast by Messrs Moores and Stainbank, of
Whitechapel, London, and cost £250.
Arrangements have been made to hang
it in a temporary belfry at the back of the
girls' school, and it is expected that its tones
will be heard before next Sunday.

Type of publication: Newspaper When was the article reported?: 04/16/1888 Publication: The Brisbane Courier Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: regional News Category: Arts/Culture

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