New bells ring in the New Year at St. Faustina

On Dec. 29, three new bells at St. Faustina Catholic Church were blessed by its pastor, Father Dat Hoang (second from left). Assisting him were (left to right) Acolyte Pitcher Allendorph, Father John Clark, parochial vicar at St. Faustina Catholic Church, and Deacon Randy Graham, director of Family Life at St. Faustina Catholic Church. Throughout history, bells have played an important role in the life of the Church. (hoto courtesy of St. Faustina Catholic Church)
FULSHEAR — On Dec. 29, three new bells at St. Faustina Catholic Church were blessed by its pastor, Father Dat Hoang, along with parochial vicar, Father John Clark, Deacon Randy Graham, director of Family Life at St. Faustina, and Acolyte Pitcher Allendorph.

Back in February 2025, while working with the well-known bell manufacturer Verdin, the parish was given the opportunity to procure three extraordinary bells, two of which were reclaimed, at a price far lower than originally budgeted. In Church tradition, church bells are treated as if they are people and are given names, blessed with holy water, anointed with sacred oils and welcomed through a special ceremony known as the “Baptism of Bells.” 

The first bell, named Spes, which is Latin for hope, is three and a half feet tall and weighs 1,700 lbs. Standing at 108 feet in the air, her tone is similar in loudness to a motorcycle engine revving nearby, but with a deep, resonant bronze timbre. The size is comparable to a round dining table at home.

The second bell, named Fides, which is Latin for faith, is four and a half feet tall and weighs 3,000 lbs. Her volume is comparable to a live rock concert, but instead of guitars, it’s a single, pure strike that rolls outward in waves. She weighs as much as a full-size SUV.

The third bell, named Caritas, which is Latin for charity or love, is five and a quarter feet tall and weighs 5,700 lbs. It is the largest of the bells and will be as commanding as a jet engine heard from a short distance, yet its sound is not harsh but soothing and majestic, designed to carry across miles. It is wider than a king-size mattress and heavier than a loaded pick-up truck.

In the immediate vicinity of the bell tower, the sound of the three bells can reach between 110 to 125 decibels.

A history of bells

Catholic churches ring bells to signal worship times, mark Sacraments and unite communities, a tradition dating to the fifth century. 
St. Paulinus of Nola introduced bells circa 400 AD, and Pope Sabinian formally endorsed their use in 604 AD. 

Originally used in monasteries to regulate prayer hours, bells later became central to parish life by the Middle Ages. Bells symbolize the voice of God calling the faithful, sanctify the passing day through the Angelus, and were believed to ward off evil. 

Today, many churches often ring their external bells three times a day, at 6 a.m., noon and 6 p.m., summoning the faithful to pray the Angelus. Bells are also rung at Mass times as a call to worship.

In the Roman Rite, bells are blessed using the Ritual of the Baptism of Bells. In this ritual, the bells are washed inside and outside with Holy Water by the presiding clergy. They are then anointed on the outside with the Oil of the Infirm (Oil of the Sick) and on the inside with the Sacred Chrism (Chrism Oil). A fuming thurible is then placed inside the bells as the presider prays over them.

Within Mass, smaller sacristy or sanctuary bells are routinely used during daily Masses, such as when the priest enters at the beginning of Mass. The bells indicate that the Liturgy is about to begin.

A second type of Mass-related bells is the altar bells (also known as the Sanctus bells). Sanctus bells are small, handheld bells placed at a convenient place near the altar for use by the altar servers, typically rung during part of the Eucharistic Prayer known as the Epiclesis, which is Greek for invocation. The bells may also be rung during the elevations of the Sacred Body and the Precious Blood.

Church bells are also rung for funerals. The bell at St. Peter’s Basilica rang on April 21 when Pope Francis died. That same bell would ring on May 8 when Pope Leo XIV was elected as the new pope following the two-day conclave.

Bells in Galveston-Houston

Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza blesses the bells at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in 2007 ahead of their installation in the Co-Cathedral's 140-foot belltower that houses a carillon of 23 bells. (Herald file photo)In downtown Houston, the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart has a 140-foot bell tower that houses a carillon of 23 bells, cast in the Netherlands from a bronze alloy of mostly copper and tin. They can be played manually, or most often, by a computerized system. 

The four largest bells, which weigh 4,800 lbs, 3,400 lbs, 2,000 lbs and 1,400 lbs, respectively, are named after important women who led four congregations of religious women that played prominent roles in serving the people in the Diocese of Galveston at its founding: Venerable Jeanne Chezard de Matel, who inspired the founding of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, and the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament; St. Angela Merici, who founded the Ursuline Sisters; Sister Pauline Gannon, one of the early leaders of the Dominican Sisters in Texas, and Venerable Henriette Delille, founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family.

On Galveston Island, St. Mary Cathedral Basilica, the mother church of Texas, features two spires and a singular bell tower, which was added in 1876. The Great Storm of 1900 blew the 4,000-pound bronze bell out of the cathedral’s bell tower, but somehow the 2,500-pound statue of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, also added in 1876, remained steadfast in the Galveston sky. Repaired in 2020, the bell now swings below the restored 11-foot cast-iron Marian statue.

These bells toll for special days of prayer and global events. In 2024, the co-cathedral and the cathedral basilica both rang their bells in celebration of Notre Dame’s reopening after its devastating fire in 2019. Other significant local occasions, such as ordinations or funerals, prompt the bells’ ringing, symbolic of the living link between Catholic heritage and daily devotion.