Angelus & Peal, St. Mary's Church, Mount Angel, Oregon

[captaincook71]

An angelus is normally rung on one bell only...

[Audinos]

@captaincook71 That varies by local custom. Some places sound the tolls on two bells alternately. One common variation is to sound the tolls on one bell and the swinging peal on another. In southern Germany and Austria, the Angelus can often consist of three peals of one or more bells separated by a short pause, rather than the familiar 3x3 strike pattern.

[captaincook71]

Yes, I heard some South Germans and Austrian angelus... that's wonderful, for exemple in Salzburg, when all the churches ring at the same time !

[aarokidas12]

its a beautiful church its my dream 2 visits i just dream i pray 2 god the day u give 2 visit is house of god its wil be my new birth

[Audinos]

I have memories of early morning bike rides around the hill and hearing these at 6:00 AM when I came near the town. The clock bells still ring every fifteen minutes, twenty-four hours a day.

[wanderingjew2008]

You remember the air-raid sirens which, for some reason, they were always testing?

[Audinos]

The fire siren was, unfortunately, shut off earlier this year. Some apartments for elderly people were built right across the street from the siren and, of course, they complained about the noise. It used to sound three long blasts whenever the volunteers were called for a fire.

[wanderingjew2008]

Well, I say good riddance! Imagine being a 2nd grader living in Mt Angel, having just seen the movie The Day After, and thinking that siren was for a nuclear explosion. Hey, you wouldn't by chance have footage of the inside of the building of Saint Mary's Elementary, would you? That's how I found this. I went there as a kid and I was just wanting to take a stroll down memory lane.

[Audinos]

Sorry, I don't have any photos. The old St. Mary's was torn down in 1995 because of earthquake damage and related asbestos removal costs (I did obtain a hallway bell from a construction worker, though). The new school is a modern building at the same location, but the people decided to retain the name of "St. Mary's Public School."

[wanderingjew2008]

Oh, man, seriously?! Now I'll never be able to revisit my childhood! Thanks for the info, though.

[whelenvortexr4]

now days church bells are just speakers on top of the church

[Audinos]

Only in American churches where people don't know or care what real bells sound like. In most of the rest of the world, real bells are still installed and rung. Search Youtube with the German word "Glocken" and you will find hundreds of videos of church bells in German-speaking countries and often the years of their installation. The only thing anywhere close to an electronic bell in Germany is that four-note chime used in most German schools as the class bell.

[whelenvortexr4]

is this also a Private school

[Audinos]

No. St. Mary's Public School (behind the trees to the left) has been a public school since the 1960's, but the people of the town retained the name. The present school was built in the late 1990's after the original suffered severe earthquake damage in 1993. The church itself barely survived.

[whelenvortexr4]

is it a big cathedral

[Audinos]

It is not a cathedral, just a church, and it holds about 400 people. It is not that large. A cathedral has nothing to do with the size or shape of the building, but is where the bishop has his cathedra (chair). In Oregon, there is one in Portland and one in Baker City. Technically, the Crystal Cathedral in southern California is not a cathedral, because they are Presbyterians and the don't have bishops.

[whelenvortexr4]

i count all big churches as cathedrals

[Audinos]

That is like counting all large cars as Cadillacs.

[whelenvortexr4]

oh i would like to see what the inside looks like

[scottknitter]

@whelenvortexr4 It's not a cathedral if it doesn't contain the cathedra, the bishop's throne. A cathedral can in fact be a tiny church (unusual, but possible).

[whelenvortexr4]

@scottknitter oh ok

[antoniachandler]

How sweet to find this here! Thanks! Toni (Lederhos) Chandler, former student at Mt. Angel Academy and Kennedy High, class of 1967