07/01/2026
To the praise and glory of Almighty God and with thanksgiving for His Providence, we are pleased to share these images and videos of our newly installed bells in the bell-tower. After almost 5yrs of the return of the sound of bells from the tower, there are now REAL bells pealing and praising God and inviting the faithful to prayer and praise.
The three large bells (550lbs, 1100lbs, and 2000lbs) were cast by the McShane Bell Foundry of Baltimore, Maryland in 1908 for St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. The parish was a small Polish parish in a small mining town. Changing dynamics and times saw the parish and church finally close in 2020. We acquired the bells through a salvage company, had them refurbished, and brought to Memphis last summer. On September 14th of last year, the bells were reconsecrated and renamed: the smallest bell (formerly named after St. Hedwig) was renamed after St. Theresa; the medium bell (formerly named after St. Stanislaus) was renamed after St. Michael the Archangel; and the largest bell (formerly named after Our Lady of Czestochowa) was renamed Holy Cross. Holy Cross is the “Consecration Bell” that will ring during the Consecration every Sunday and Holy Day Mass.
The bells were sponsored by individuals and families of the Parish and were installed in the tower two weeks ago. Although the tower was built to hold bells, it never had bells in it before now. When the church was built in 1951, several elements (like the installation of bells in the tower) were left undone due to financial constraints at the time, and to allow future generations to continue contributing to the beauty of God’s House.
We are very grateful to all who made this joyous event possible: the parishioners and families who sponsored each of the bells; the architects, engineers and contractors, the workers (paid and volunteer) who worked on the installation; and last, but certainly not least, our neighbors who reminded us of the importance and supremacy of real consecrated bells over digital recordings—their encouragement facilitated the expedition of the acquisition of these historic bells. THANK YOU ALL!
Today was a historic day in the life of St. Theresa Parish. Several parishioners came to witness the “Inaugural Pealing” of the bells from the tower. May the sacred sound of these bells pierce the skies and call God’s blessing and graces upon all who hear them. And may the infernal spirits flee from those and the places to which their sacred melodies reach.
