Ringing in the Future of St. Benedict

-By Norman Gregory, Junior Warden

We are pleased to say thanks for a donation of a bell that previously rang at St. Joseph – St. John Episcopal Church in Lakewood. We now have the first element of our new bell tower at St. Benedict. We believe the bell itself was cast by C. S. Bell Company of Hillsboro, Ohio (yes, the founder’s name really was Bell).  The C. S. Bell Company was known for casting its bells of a secret alloy of steel and cast iron that resulted in the bells having a much more pleasant tone.  To buy a bell like this would have cost us up to $750 in fully restored condition.

We expect the first indication that actual construction has begun will be an above-ground foundation being poured over the footing that was put in place when St. Benedict was originally constructed.  We expect this to happen very soon.

While the concrete foundation is hardening, the custom glulam beams will be constructed, as will the custom metal fittings to hold everything together.  Once those parts are available, we expect you will be able to watch the construction proceed in our parking lot.