St Patrick’s Cathedral Parramatta: Bells hoisted into bell tower
After a long wait at one of Australia’s oldest Catholic churches, a peal of bells are being hoisted into their tower.
Parramatta
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Eight giant church bells are being hoisted into the sandstone tower at St Patrick’s Cathedral, weeks shy of their tune ringing out across Parramatta.
Bellringer Paul Mousley, who pulls the ropes to sound the existing bell, St Patrick, is anticipating undergoing training to ring the peal of bells, which will each have their own tones.
“I think it will really put a bit more vibrancy into the parish and for the people in the neighbourhood,’’ he said.
“They’ll hear the bells and it might make them think of coming to church.’’
Project manager Ricky Staats has traded the usual boilermaker and concreting jobs for the theatrical setting of the sandstone cathedral.
“It’s interesting, just doing something different and something from the church,’’ he said.
Worshippers at the picturesque 166-year-old church have long looked forward to the tune of bells ringing.
The giant bells — six which are more than 100 years old — have been imported from the UK and the heaviest — St Mary of the Cross Mackillop — weighs 405kg.
Parishioners have purchased and donated the bells, which ranged from $8000 to $35,000, and were sourced from St Paul’s Anglican Church in Widnes, Liverpool, England.
Once the bells are in place, members of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers will tune the hulks of steel and they will be rung together, along with the original bell St Patrick, for the first time in late November.
The bells were blessed in a ceremony at the cathedral on September 8.
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