Music and Events at Christ the King, Stone Ridge

Lent Evensong and Silent Auction

The choir will once again offer a Lenten evensong, on March 14th at 5pm, to be followed by a wine and cheese reception and a silent auction to raise funds for choir robes.  Please come and be uplifted by the beautiful, contemplative service of evensong, while also   supporting our dedicated choir.

THE VOICE OF THE LORD IS IN POWER (PSALM 28:4)

This text comes from one of the psalms recited during the elaborate “baptism of the bells,” in which a new bell is blessed and commissioned for its work in God’s church – akin to the christening of a ship.  The words belie one of the bell’s ancient magical powers:  the ability of its sound to travel long distances and draw people to it.  Bells have long had a strong connection with the church in the West, probably beginning in the 6th century in the northern Celtic countries where bells were highly venerated and often connected with the early saints.  These quadrangular handbells were brought by Irish monks on their missionary pilgrimages across Europe, and were used to call congregations together in the open air, rung in funeral processions, and even carried into battle.  They were thought to possess magical powers, housed in elaborate shrines, and were kept by hereditary custodians called “dewars,” who passed them on to their successors even to the present day.  Some 60 of these ancient bells still exist, mostly in Ireland.  The size, shape and uses of bells grew, and by the 8th century, the bell had become an essential part of every church’s equipment.

Bells have always been used to announce the time of church services.  Church bells employing coded ringing at specified times have been used to signify special events such as the “Passing Bell” to announce the passing of a parishioner and solicit prayers for his or her soul, the “Angelus” and the “De Profundis” announcing the time of daily personal prayers, and the “Curfew” to signify putting out all fires for the night.  Church bells continue to be used to honor the visit of a bishop, to announce a procession of the Blessed Sacrament or a Solemn Te Deum, and at marriages and other days of national rejoicing.

We most often hear bells during the service of the Eucharist - the Sanctus Bells.  In current Anglican practice, these bells announce the Real Presence of Christ in the sacred elements, being rung three times, first during the words of Institution and subsequently at the raising of both the Host and Chalice.  The practice of using bells at this holy moment appears to have begun with the introduction of the Elevation of the Host in the 13th century.  A church’s great bell was rung during the principal Mass at the moment when the Sacred Host was raised on high.  This was to alert the people at work in the fields, so that they might momentarily kneel down in adoration.  In England, this was most likely done with a small handbell that was taken to a side window of the church and rung outside through the shutters.

The use of bells can continue to alert us to the Presence of Christ in the bread and wine of the Eucharist, and, following communion, in ourselves – a beautiful outward and physically felt sign of an inward grace.  As in ceremonies of other traditions and cultures, this use of bells can also act to bless or cleanse the air of our own cluttered thoughts, or historically, of evil spirits, thus preparing our hearts and minds for the holy.  This coincides, in fact, with one of the magical powers of the early Christian bells, banishing: to protect against and exorcise evil spirits.  Isn’t it amazing how the act of ringing a bell can connect us to such a rich long line of Christian devotion?

James Ruff, Director of Music