Q: I pray you are well. I read your article in the “Priest” blog regarding “Ringing the Bells”.
I am deacon. The parish where I have been assigned has a new pastor who has decided to bring ringing the bells during consecration to our church. For some background, the parish is only 35 years old and I have been a parishioner there with my family the whole time. We have never had bells for consecration. Our founding pastor was against them for the reason you described in your article. Also, he was forward thinking and believed that the bells were a distraction during mass in the new “Vatican II era”. He said, the people can see what I’m doing and their attention is on the consecration during the Eucharistic prayer- no need for anything else.
My question is, as a deacon, do I have the option or right to refuse to ring the bells in the absence of altar servers and or an acolyte? I feel my role as a deacon is diminished if I am asked to do this. I feel that the celebrant would never ask a “concelebrant” to ring the bells in the absence of both servers and a deacon. Does that make sense?
Thank you in advance,
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A: Thanks for your comments on my article.
GIRM 1717f says that in the absence of other ministers, the deacon carries out their duties, if necessary.
GIRM 208 says that in the absence of lay ministers and deacons, concelebrants carry out the proper parts entrusted to them.
So, the question is, “Is ringing the bells necessary?” No, but you may not get very far with that argument.
Talk with the priest. Let him know you understand that for him the bells are important for certain reasons, but for you the ringing of the bells carries additional meanings he probably does not intend: a disruption of parish tradition, a negative view of dedicated previous pastors, an absence of awareness for the spirituality of the people at Mass, an assumption that people are not paying attention to the eucharistic prayer—whatever your reasons may be. Again, it may not get you very far, but at least you’ve laid the groundwork for some dialogue.