Churchgoers believe bells will ring again

Churchgoers believe the cast-bronze bells at St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church will ring again.

The three large bells above the church have been silent for years. It’s no longer safe to ring them in the bell tower because structural reinforcement is needed.

“The people around here always said why can’t we hear them bells ring. Well because they need to be changed,” said parishioner John Giarratano, 93.

The bells haven’t tolled for more than three years. The largest, a three-foot bell, is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and valued at $10,000; the middle one, a 30-inch bell, is dedicated to St. Joseph; the smallest is two feet and dedicated to St. Anthony.

Giarratano stepped in to help the bells rings about 15 years ago. “When the wheels start to break, I used to weld them. Take ’em to school and weld them and put them back together again up through that hole. I used to go up through that hole,” he said with a chuckle.

That hole he’s referring to is the attic door in the church, leading up to the bells.

To hear the bells once again, the church needs to replace the mechanism that swings them. It’s estimated to cost about $40,000. When the bells were relocated from St. Mary’s Church on Clark St. in the Grove to its current location at 217 East Mesa Ave. in the 1950s, the bells had to be brought in from the roof.

Giarratano is determined to hear the church bells ring again.

“It was something special is all I can tell you,” he said. “If I can get it working, I’ll get it working.”

For those who’d like to donate, contact St. Mary’s Church at 719-542-6323 or email st.marysgen@yahoo.com