CV NEWS FEED // After 120 years without a bell in its bell tower, the priory at the Washington, D.C.-based Dominican House of Studies is finally going to have one. It will be blessed Jan. 12 and installed later this month.
Father Gregory Schnakenberg, OP, prior of the Immaculate Conception at the House of Studies, told CatholicVote in an email interview that the Priory, which “is one of the real Catholic architectural gems of Washington, D.C.,” has mysteriously lacked a bell since it was built in 1905.
Fr. Schnakenberg said that the absence of the bell may be because the organ was in the lower part of the bell tower, which may have made it difficult to manually ring the bell with ropes because they would have had to be in the same place as the organ.
“So, in the end, I think they opted for the organ over a bell,” Fr. Schnakenberg said. “But now, 120 years later, a lot of things are achievable in ways that would not have been possible in 1905.”
Elaborating on the theology of Catholic bells, Fr. Schnakenberg explained that Catholic bells serve as an excellent tangible reminder to stop and pray throughout the day.
“Catholics are sacramental people and just as God uses matter in the sacraments to sanctify us, so we also make use of all sorts of material things to help us to pray and worship God,” he said.
Catholic bells are one such material thing that serves as a call to prayer and, years ago, they functioned much like an alarm clock would.
“In the case of a monastery or Priory like ours, the ringing of bells normally serves to call monks or friars to assemble in the chapel to pray at certain times, helping us to sanctify the course of the day,” Fr. Schnakenberg said. “In the days before personal clocks and watches, this was a very useful reminder indeed!”
A monastery or priory’s bells are also helpful for the laypersons who hear them, as they signify “that now is an appropriate time to stop and pray,” he explained. The Priory is still determining exactly what times of day the bell will ring, but usually bells ring when a religious community is going to pray the Liturgy of the Hours in the morning, midday, and evening, Fr. Schnakenberg explained.
“There is a long tradition in the Church, going back many centuries, of ringing bells before these hours of monastic prayer,” he said. “The Angelus is also traditionally prayed in the morning, at midday, and in the evening, and so the bells also serve as an invitation to everyone to pray the Angelus at these times.”
For centuries, hearing the “Angelus bell” meant that one would pause in their activities for the prayer, Fr. Schnakenberg explained.
Though it “interrupts” what the person is doing, Fr. Schnakenberg pointed out that this is not a bad thing.
“I would say that today, in the busyness of our lives, it can be very helpful to have an interruption to call us to turn our attention to God,” he said. “Bells can serve that purpose for everyone.”
They are also used to proclaim special messages, Fr. Schnakenberg said. They’re often used in weddings to joyfully announce the new marriage, and somberly at funerals, to remind community members to pray for the soul of the deceased.
The bronze bell that will be installed at the Priory features a Latin inscription of its dedication to St. Gabriel. It weighs approximately 980 pounds and was first cast in 1928, according to an X post from Fr. Schnakenberg.
Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, shared on X that the new bell has a Latin inscription that states, “I sing to the honor of St. Gabriel the Archangel, who announced the Word of God to the Immaculate Virgin Mary.”
Fr. Schnakenberg told CatholicVote that the bell is one of several efforts the Priory is undergoing to enhance and preserve their chapel’s beauty.
“We’ve recently undertaken several efforts to restore both the historic woodwork of our High Altar and the beautiful murals in our Chapel,” Fr. Schnakenberg said. “Both were originally produced in Belgium at the start of the 20th century and reflect a quality that is hard to find today.”
Now that the bell project is coming to a close, the Priory is going to work on restoring two small altars, one of which is dedicated to St. Catherine of Siena, and the other to St. Rose of Lima.
Those interested in financially supporting the Priory’s restoration efforts can learn more here. Another great way to support the community is through prayer, Fr. Schnakenberg said, adding, “the bells and the artwork are there to help lead us to God and so prayer is always the most important thing.”
The new bell will be blessed at 10:30 a.m. (EST) Jan. 12 in the Academic Courtyard. Those interested in attending can learn more here.
Fr. Schnakenberg told CatholicVote that the friars are looking forward to finally having a bell in the tower, saying that it will be “one of the highlights of 2025” for them.
“After all,” he said, “we’ve waited 120 years for the bell!”