Bell at St. Paul Catholic Church Takes a Break From Ringing

The bell at St. Paul Catholic Church — the one that chimes daily at noon and 6 p.m. — hasn't been ringing for weeks, and it will remain silent for a little while longer.

In fact, the St. Paul Church bell is down for repairs.

Deacon Ron Reolfi says the Verdin bell company removed the bell's clapper to cast a new one. The bell, which was taken out of service in January, will be ringing again by Easter. 

"The clapper, or bell striker, had deformed over the years and was in effect 'punching' the side of the bell when it should have been 'poking' the bell, so it needed to be recast so that the deformed clapper didn't break the bell," Reolfi wrote in an email to North Canton Patch.

A little more information from Reolfi:

Our current bell is the second bell at St. Paul in North Canton and was installed in 1894. It was a gift from Wendel Wackerly, a settler of North Canton and St. Paul's oldest member at the time. Some of the Wackerly family still worship at St. Paul today. The bell weighs 1,450 pounds, was given the name St. Rose and was dedicated March 7, 1894. This bell replaced a 62 pound bell that was installed at St. Paul's in 1858. 

The bell rings at noon and 6 p.m. to remind people to observe the devotion called "The Angelus" — remembering the conception of Jesus Christ in Mary's womb. The bells also ring five minutes before Mass and again at the start of Mass as a call to worship. This was more important when families all lived close to the church and walked to worship.

Have you noticed the silence in downtown North Canton? And do you appreciate the bell chiming throughout the day? Tell us in the comments section.