Church Bells
THE SOUNDTRACK OF FAITH BY JOHN STEGEMAN
Perhaps the most subtle advertisement that a neighborhood has a faith community is the church bells ringing. It’s not in your face like a commercial or billboard, but the message is clear: We’re here and you’re welcome to join us. If you’ve heard a church bell ring in greater Cincinnati during the last 175-plus years, there’s a good chance it was cast or serviced by The Verdin Company. Since installing Old St. Mary’s still-swinging bell in Over-the-Rhine to the present day, Verdin has been a leader in all things bells. Their legacy is one of note. To put its history in perspective, the company was founded just 21 years after the Archdiocese of Cincinnati was established. Among The Verdin Company’s innovations are the electric clock winder invented in 1910 and the first electric bell ringer invented in 1927. It also claims the honors of creating the largest swinging cast bell in America and having the only traveling bell foundry in the world. Speaking of history, the Catholic Church has been associated with bells to mark the hours and liturgical prayer schedules since the early 600s. After the Protestant Reformation, many non-Catholic churches continued the tradition. Today, bells are found across denominations, but there’s still a stronger market among Catholics. Bob Verdin, CEO of The Verdin Company, said that of the nearly 2 8 | THE CATHOLIC TE LEGRAPH
Verdin’s Famous Bell Perhaps the most famous bell associated with The Verdin Company is Big Joe, the largest swinging cast bell in the U.S. at the time. Cast by the VanDuzen Company, which Verdin took over in 1955, its diameter is wider than nine feet at the base. With all of its equipment, the bell weighs over 35,000 pounds. Big Joe still hangs in the tower of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in East Walnut Hills, but it is stationary. The story goes that when it was installed and rung for the first time on Oct. 30, 1895, its vibrations broke windows within a one-block radius. While Verdin said that story is likely an urban legend, it is true that the forces on the bell tower were too strong for safe usage, and the bell never swung again.
