Bells at Consecration

[Dream]

I was doing some reading in my Catholicism for Dummies book (yes, I'm a dummy ) and found this rather interesting. You know how often times bells are rung during Consecration, well this tradition actually started in the old Gothic cathedrals. Because there was no sound system back in the Middle Ages, the parishoners sitting in the back of the cathedral couldn't always hears what was going on. By ringing bells, it gave them a signal that the Consecration was happening.

Just an interesting bit of trivia.

 

[epiclesis]

hmm, that's interesting... i didn't know that... cool to know though.

 

[Paul S]

Also, the entire Canon was said silently, so that's another reason for the bells.

 

[ps139]

Amen DT! It is cool to know the history of these things, they were there to help the people. Much like stained glass windows were created for people who could not read (most people back in the day) so they could visually learn the Gospel stories.

 

[frettr00]

Cool, I always figured it was just done out of reverence.

 

[FullyMT]

I was doing some reading in my Catholicism for Dummies book (yes, I'm a dummy ) and found this rather interesting. You know how often times bells are rung during Consecration, well this tradition actually started in the old Gothic cathedrals. Because there was no sound system back in the Middle Ages, the parishoners sitting in the back of the cathedral couldn't always hears what was going on. By ringing bells, it gave them a signal that the Consecration was happening.

I was told by my pastor that they rang bells so that people who didn't know Latin would know when the bread and wine became Jesus Christ.
Maybe there is truth to both?

 

[Paul S]

I was told by my pastor that they rang bells so that people who didn't know Latin would know when the bread and wine became Jesus Christ.
Maybe there is truth to both?

The bells are definitely there to alert the people that the Consecration is occurring, but I don't think not knowing Latin is the reason, since the congregation wouldn't have heard anything, anyway.

In the TLM, the Canon, what's now Eucharistic Prayer #1, is always said silently by the priest, so this goes back to at least 1570. I'm not familiar enough with other rites that existed before then to know if this was the same, but I imagine it was. If in some places the Canon was said out loud, and the bells developed there, then these other reasons would make sense. Either way, it tells the people that the bread and wine have just become Our Lord.

 

[krstlros]

During one of my CCD classes, our Pastor taught our class regarding the Mass. He said that at one point in time, there was a screen between the sanctuary and the assembly. Can't remember exactly what that was for, but it sounded rather strange to me.

Anwayway, what he told us is when the time of the consecration would come, and the time of raising the host and chalice, the bells would ring indicating the raisng of the bread and whie at the time of consecration so the people would look up, and the Priest would raise the bread and chalice above the screen so the people would know this was being done.

 

[Paul S]

I've heard of the screen, but I always thought it was more of an Eastern thing. Because the Consecration is a mystery, the tradition has been to hide it from one of the senses. In the East, it was vision, with the screen. In the West, it was sound, by the silent Canon. I can't say, though, that the screen was never used in the West.

 

[CountryMom]

I bummed, they don't ring the bells in our local churches anymore. That is one of many things they don't do anymore. I was raised in a traditional church where our local church are "New age" Catholics.

 

[Irenaeus]

I personally found it difficult to get into the "spirit" of an old Latin Rite Mass because it is so quiet.

But yet, I think if I spent more time attending one, I'd get a feel for the spirit of the Mass. I can certainly understand how hard it is to hear the Priest, because you aren't supposed to! The Bells really help.

 

[krstlros]

I don't think it has anything with it being "New Age". It's whether the bells are necessary or not.

 

[LongingForLight]

Our parish doesn't do the bells either, but the church is very small, so everyone sees / hears just fine. I've been wondering why they didn't do this. Apparently it is not required as a part of the Mass?

 

[Dream]

Our parish doesn't do the bells either, but the church is very small, so everyone sees / hears just fine. I've been wondering why they didn't do this. Apparently it is not required as a part of the Mass?

No, it is not required. It is still done as a tradition in some churches.

 

[Aaron-Aggie]

Its done in all the church in my dicoise by order of the bishop

 

[Paul S]

I personally found it difficult to get into the "spirit" of an old Latin Rite Mass because it is so quiet.

But yet, I think if I spent more time attending one, I'd get a feel for the spirit of the Mass. I can certainly understand how hard it is to hear the Priest, because you aren't supposed to! The Bells really help.

The silence was one of the things that took me quite a while to get used to, although last Sunday, I had to attend the earlier English Mass, too, and it seemed a bit too noisy during the Consecration. Guess I'm used to the silence now, although the shortness of the prayer is different, too.

I think the silent Canon is quite beautiful, broken only by the bells at the elevations of the Body and Blood, and after the Consecration, the choir sings Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis. The only other words of the Canon spoken aloud are Nobis quoque peccatoribus, "To us sinners, too".