Gifts towards the Bell Restoration can be delivered to the Administration Office (111 West Marshall St. Rice Lake, WI 54868) or put in the offertory/collection basket at weekend Masses. Envelopes are available for donations at Holy Trinity Catholic Church. For any questions about this project, please contact the Business Manager or any member of the Parish Council.
September 4, 2022
Dear friends in Christ,
This letter is to provide the faithful with an update on the Holy Trinity Bell Restoration Project since our last update in June 2022. As you know the bells were installed in 1956 and sometime in the last 10 years two of the three bells have stopped ringing. Currently, our single working bell rings at 6:00 am, 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm and they don’t allow ringing on command for events such as funerals and weddings. Our bells are a joyful display of our faith not only to those that belong to our parish, but to the greater village of Haugen.
Since the June 2022 appeal, our community has worked together to raise nearly $24,000 for the restoration project. This is GREAT news! The bell restoration (just the bells alone) is estimated to cost $40,000 with an additional $35,000 needed for roof and structural maintenance. The additional $35,000 estimate is directly affected by the donation of time and talent of parishioners and above and beyond gifts towards this amount will be saved for future bell maintenance.
What work has been completed since June?
Since June we have continued to move forward with several projects related to the restoration of the bells.
- On June 23, a new spire was blessed by Father Dave Oberts and erected on the bell tower. This new spire will allow for easy future maintenance to the roof which has been an issue in the past. (photo top right)
- The roof of the bell tower has been mostly repaired with the remainder of the repairs to be completed once the bells have been restored.
- New cedar louvers (they protect the bells from external elements and increase the lifespan of the bell frame) were installed in August. All the materials and labor were donated which saves us over $10,000 in expenses. (photo right)
Continued…
What is next?
Thank you for committing and sharing your gifts and prayers with Holy Trinity to restore the bells. Our community has come together in a very beautiful way to help make this happen and we thank YOU. If you haven’t had a chance yet, please prayerfully discern giving a gift or pledging a second commitment. With your commitment, our prayer is to have the bells installed and ringing again by Summer 2023.
We need your prayers! Pray the Angelus Prayer…
We earnestly ask you to join us in praying the Angelus Prayer (below) to bring our bells back to ringing order. Thank you for being a part of the Holy Trinity family and for carrying on the legacy of our Catholic faith to future generations to come.
In Christ,
The Holy Trinity Parish Council
Becky Hanson, Sarah Warring, Dan & Angie Willger, Katie Olson, John Kinnick, Father Ed Anderson, Tim Deering, Father Adam Laski
Angelus Prayer
V/. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,
R/. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
V/. Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
R/. Be it done unto me according to your Word.
Hail Mary…
V/. And the Word was made flesh,
R/. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary…
V/. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
R/. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts: that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Excerpted from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, revised edition © 2007 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. All rights reserved. https://www.usccb.org/prayers/angelus
6/23/2022
Dear friends in Christ,
This letter is to provide the faithful with an update and invite you to be part of the Holy Trinity Bell Restoration project. In January 2022 the parish council presented to the parish the plans to begin looking into restoring the bells. These bells were originally installed in 1956 and they rang for over 60 years. Sometime in the last 10 years two of the three bells have stopped ringing. Currently, our single working bell rings at 6:00 am, 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm and they don’t allow ringing on command for events such as funerals and weddings.
Why are our bells important?
The importance of our bells is to call us to worship and call us to move. They call us into worship through our liturgy. They are a joyful display of our faith not only to those that belong to our parish, but to the greater village of Haugen. The sound of our bells is a reminder to draw near to the Lord.
What has the parish council been working on?
Over the last two years, many conversations with the parish council have taken place to begin the work on restoration. With the generous above and beyond offertory contributions of our faithful during COVID, we have been able to take small steps to put this project into motion. The following have already been completed for this project:
- The spire and cross have been removed from the bell tower. A new spire has been ordered and will be erected in the coming days. This new spire will allow for easy future maintenance to the roof which has been an issue in the past.
- The roof of the bell tower has been mostly repaired with the remainder of the repairs to be completed once the bells have been restored.
- Verdin Bells (The original vendor and maker of the bells – based out of Ohio) visited Holy Trinity in March and completed a free appraisal.
- New cedar louvers (they protect the bells from external elements and increase the lifespan of the bell frame) are in the process of being crafted. All the materials and labor will be donated which saves us over $10,000 in expenses.
How can I help? What is needed?
To proceed forward with the restoration of our bells, we need commitment through gifts. The estimated expense of this project is $75,000. Please prayerfully discern giving gift or pledging a commitment to restore our beautiful ringing bells. Once we receive nearly half of the goal in gifts, we
will continue forward with the project. Our hope and prayer is to have the bells installed and ringing again by Summer 2023.
Your thoughts, prayers and generosity will be an integral part of this process. Thank you for being a part of the Holy Trinity family and for carrying on the legacy of our Catholic faith to future generations to come.
In Christ,
The Holy Trinity Parish Council
Becky Hanson, Sarah Warring, Dan & Angie Willger, Katie Olson, John Kinnick, Father Ed Anderson, Tim Deering, Father Adam Laski