Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Etched in ... metal

OK, all you history buffs.  How many people remember the day when the construction of the Church of Saint Joseph was completed?  Just in case you think I've gone completely off my rocker, Saint Joseph's was the original name of the present church of Christ the King here in Sudbury.

If you were around on that auspicious day, you may very  well have been in some very illustrious company indeed.  I'm willing to bet that the Bishop of the Diocese was here to bless the bell that was installed in the tower, and which has been rung (off and on) since that time.

Today, I actually managed to see the bell up close.  It takes a bit of effort to get that far up, but it's worth it, especially for the sake of historians and those who like to know little tidbits of useless information.  The bell is indeed still hanging there, and can be heard on the odd occasion.  If all goes well, we will be able to refurbish it in the not so distant future, so that it can ring clearly with suitable majesty.

While I was up in the echelons of the tower, I thought it fortuitous that I should note the inscription that is emblazoned on the bell itself.  Every bell, I'm told, is christened (given a name) at the time of it's casting.  There is no evidence of the name for this particular treasure, but what is written there is worth noting.  On one side, it says:
Donated by 
David D. Mulligan, Esq.
Montreal, Canada
MC Shane Bell Foundry Co.
Baltimore, MD 1928

On the other side of the bell is written:

Rt. Rev. D.J. Scollard, DD
Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie, Canada
Rev. Thomas H. Trainor, PP
St. Joseph's Church, Sudbury
Rev. J.A. Tourangeau, Asst.
Sept. 23, 1928
 How's that for nostalgia?

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