120-strong congregation turn out for blessing of Ruthin’s restored church bells

The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, joined the 120-strong congregation of St Peter’s Church for a special service on Sunday, March 31, which was also Mothering Sunday.

The congregation included the town’s mayor and other civic dignitaries.

Eight bells have been restored. The bells of St Peter’s Ruthin are expected to be hoisted back into the church tower later in the year

Readings were carried out by 1918 Squadron Ruthin Air Cadets and the Head of Ysgol Borthyn, Teleri Llwyd-Jones and prayers were written and led by Ruthin Brownies.

The eight bells, which have been cleaned and restored at the Taylors Foundry in Loughborough, were on the floor of the church and had been decorated with flowers.

Revd Stuart Evans, the warden of St Peter’s Collegiate Church, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Bishop of St Asaph to our special service to hallow the bells.

“It is common practice to ‘set apart’ or ‘hallow’ things used specifically for service in Christ’s Church. Unusually, bells may only be blessed by a bishop.

“Bells mark time with bells ringing out with joy in time of celebration, as happened in the past to mark the cessation of war and happens today when a couple gets married. Bells also mark times of sadness, tolling at funerals or other times of local or national concern.

Revd Stuart Evans, Warden of St Peter’s, Ruthin, the Bishop of St Asaph, Rt Revd Gregory Cameron and the Revd Dylan Parry Jones, assistant curate

"For me, this marking of all times draws attention to Christ – the Lord of all time who invites us to use our time wisely – never being silent but in words and deeds ‘ringing out’ with the Good News of Christ."

Bishop Gregory said: "For over a thousand years, Christian communities have used bells to summon the faithful to worship. Since they call us to remember our duty towards God and represent God’s call to us to repent and receive the gift of his grace, it has been the tradition to hallow, or consecrate, them in the same way bishops and graveyards may be consecrated. Ringing bells is a way of putting us in touch with God."

After the service, traditional simnel cake and bell sharped shortbread biscuits were served.

St Peter’s has received a £96,000 National Lottery award to carry out the restoration work which will see the eight bells placed into a new metal frame and the ringing room inside the church tower refurbished.

As part of the restoration project, a new generation of bell ringers are set to be trained. Free lessons will be available once the bells are back in position later in the year.