A timeless symbol
The Day of Thanksgiving for Holy Communion (Corpus Christi – the body of Christ) is usually celebrated on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday. This year the festival fell on Thursday 19th June. It was established in the 13th century by Pope Urban IV in response to the visions of St Juliana of Liège, who desired a feast day in its honour. The day traditionally has been marked with great reverence and joy by the faithful as it provides an opportunity to express gratitude for the Holy Communion. Of note historically is the link between Corpus Christi andbell ringing.
This association can be traced back to medieval Europe, where the celebration of the feast was marked with elaborate processions and the ringing of church bells. The bells were not only a call to worship but also a means to sanctify the procession route, creating what was regarded as a sacred space in the public square. It would be interesting to know the extent to which bells continue to be rung in our churches to honour the tradition of ringing bells during Corpus Christi. In my own group of churches Corpus Christi will be celebrated but unfortunately perhaps we have no recent practice of ringing to celebrate the occasion. We do, however, Sunday by Sunday make use of a sanctus bell – in our case not a small bell placed by the altar, but an Exeter Foundry bell of c1499 (7cwt about) hung dead in the tower. It is chimed at specific points during the Eucharistic Prayer such as the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy), and particularly during the consecration of the bread and the wine. The ringing of the sanctus bell serves to focus the congregation’s attention on the most sacred moments of the liturgy but also, being in the tower, can be heard quite widely by those outside not attending worship. We are not infrequently asked by townsfolk why they should hear that bell being struck during a service when they are used to the full peal ringing beforehand!
From a personal perspective Corpus Christi is a feast that has in the long past beautifully intertwined the act of thanksgiving for Holy Communion with the ancient art of campanology. After all, despite the secular and enjoyable nature of so much of our ringing in this age, the ringing of bells remains for many a timeless symbol of divine presence and community. They enhance the solemnity and joy of any celebration. But specifically, as the faithful gather to honour the Eucharist, the sound of bells could still serve as a powerful reminder of the enduring traditions that continue to enrich the Christian faith.Jonathan Rose