Help the Catholic Faith Ring in Appalachia

Hello. I'm Joseph Pearson and I'm asking for your help acquiring a refurbished bell for our parish (St. Gregory) here in Barbourville KY.

The goal is the price quoted to me by the folks at the McShane Bell Foundry in Maryland, and it is for an 18” used bronze bell with clapper, yoke, frames, and wheel (pictured above), or its equivalent if they sell this model in the interim, plus shipping. The sales representative told me that a new bell would cost 50-75% more than a refurbished model.

Catholic men, women, and children have long been a stark minority in Appalachia. Regardless, this is our home too, and having always dearly loved church bells whenever I hear them, thought that it would be wonderful to hear the bell ring to call the people to Mass and toll the feasts and festivals of our Catholic year.

Additionally, given how small a minority we are and how deeply ambivalent most people in Appalachia remain towards Catholics, the bell would announce our history, our presence, and our resolve to live, work, and worship in our mountain home.

But even more than that, the bell is a call to prayer, ringing down through the centuries to our own day. It marks sacred time, calling men, women, and children to God. When we hear the bell, we return our hearts to the Lord and our bodies to prayer.

What prayer? The prayer of the church, that ancient prayer that has been prayed since the Acts of the Apostles. So it's more than just a symbol of our Catholic identity. At its most essential, it's a physical sign of our call to participate in the Work of God, even in the remotest parts of the country.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.