I don't know if this is technically a ghost story or some
kind of memory, but I attend a Catholic church that my
family has attended for over 100 years. The present church
was rebuilt in 1927 when the old one burned down (same site-
-but not relevant.) It was remodeled extensively two years
ago--which is relevant. On to the story.
I have been attending Mass here for over 3 years now, and
on occasion would take note of the bells in the tower
ringing. I have heard them at times from outside the
church, too. As anyone who knows bells knows, each bell
has its own tone and sound. These bells were quite
distinct from any bells I can recall anywhere else. Rather
deep for church bells, but sweet all the same.
After a year, I became a lector in the parish (I read
during Mass). Our regular parish priest was ill, and a sub
was sent in one day--in fact the retired pastor of the
parish. He had retired in the early '80s, but gladly
volunteered to come back and say Mass for a few weeks while
our priest was out.
While we were waiting in the vestry, I noticed the bell
timer on the wall, and absently asked Father if he thought
the bells were set to ring at that Mass (a Saturday evening
Mass, not the regular Sunday time) as I could not usually
hear them from the altar. He replied that he did not
know. Time passed, and soon Mass had started. He was
greeting the parishioners, when he suddenly stopped, and
smiled back at me saying the bells did indeed ring. I
stepped from behind the pillar that was in front of me to
slightly behind Father, and I could hear them, too. My
mother (who was in the pews) gave us an odd look, but I
thought she was disapproving of our conversation on the
altar.
A couple of weeks later, the Sister who runs the parish was
present before Mass and I made a remark about the bells.
She looked at me oddly and said the bells hadn't rung in
years. I took this to mean since the restoration (as I had
heard the bells before then, and through my childhood when
my family would travel home for holidays, before we moved
back), and asked if they would restore their function when
the roof was finished. Again, she looked at me as if I
were insane and said they hadn't functioned since just
after the priest who had been substituting left-the wires
had snapped for no good reason and never been repaired. In
fact, she said, they would not be repaired as it would be
too expensive to do.
I was concerned that I was hallucinating, so I asked my Mom
about the bells. She said that it had freaked her out that
day in Mass when the sub priest and I were talking about
the bells, because she had heard them ringing, too! And
she knew they hadn't been working, so at first she thought
she was just remembering them until the priest mentioned
them. I asked her what the sounded like, and she mentioned
that there had been several, but the big bass bell drowned
the rest out and the sound had been very deep, but sweet
and not scary.
Now, if these bells had been disconnected before we moved
back into state for good, and before I went to Masses there
regularly, how would I have come up with the same
description for the sound I heard? Perhaps it's some kind
of family memory, since so many generations of my family
have worshiped, been baptised and buried out of that
church. I don't know for sure, but I haven't heard them
since then, and I'd think if they were a memory of some
sort I'd still hear them, wouldn't you?
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