Bishop calls for bell ringing on Easter Sunday

Bishop McManus has asked that church bells be rung at noon on Easter, in solidarity with other churches, as a reminder of our Christian faith and as a call to prayer. Yesterday he extended the invitation to the interfaith community asking that all people pray for those affected by the coronavirus.

“Please ring the bells on Easter Sunday morning at noon for one minute and send a message in advance to your parishioners,” the bishop wrote in a letter to priests earlier this week.

He asked priests to give parishioners the following message: 

“As a public reminder of the power of the risen Christ to bring hope into our lives, particularly during this terrible pandemic, we will ring our church bells in solidarity with other Catholic churches and those of other denominations around our diocese and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

"May our tolling bells be a call to offer a prayer of petition for God’s healing grace to those who are suffering and their caregivers and a call to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of eternal life to all believers on this Easter Sunday.” 

The bishop suggested that parishes may want to share bell ringing on Facebook or livestream on social media.