April 8, 2020 - Easter Sunday Ringing of the Bells in the Archdiocese of Boston

On Easter Sunday, churches at parishes across the Archdiocese of Boston will join in unison with ringing of the bells at 12noon.  The gesture of solidarity and celebration was proposed by several parishioners from different regions of the Archdiocese and received by Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley as an encouraging expression of hope during these challenging times.  One parishioner cited a sense of calm and assurance at hearing the church bells, another cited the importance of proclaiming our faith as a sign of our care and concern for the community. The Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, the Mother Church of the Archdiocese, will be joyfully ringing its own historic bells at the noon hour in solidarity with the faithful throughout the region. 

Cardinal Seán said, “Christians are experiencing this Holy Week of worship as never before - in the solitude of our homes and for first responders, in their places of work.  In ordinary times, church bells are a call for people to gather in prayer.  This year, in the midst of the pandemic, the bells remind us that we are a community of people who need to take care of each other in the power and strength of spiritual connection and the love of the Resurrected Christ.”

For those parishes able to participate, the Archdiocese is requesting that they stream the bells ringing on their social media and digital platforms.  Parishes are encouraged to use the hashtag #AnEasterPeople.  In particular, this is also an opportunity to recognize and pray for those on the front lines of this crisis including among others nurses, doctors, EMT’s, police, fire, other medical professionals and other essential workers such as grocery and pharmacy employees.

The Cardinal is pleased to know other denominations are also planning to ring the bells of their churches as a sign of hope and solidarity.