Choir was moved to tears and couldn't sing!
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I feel like I just came back from three days in Heaven! We used the bells for the first time on Friday for the Holy Friday Matins liturgy. Fr. Michael and I did a slow toll on all the bells for the Plaschanitsa procession. People were moved to tears. Later at the vesperal divine liturgy we did another toll and people all remarked how wonderful the new bells sound and how did we ever get by with what we were doing before. Yesterday I did a sort of modified triple peal for matins when we recited the Creed, but we pulled out the stops for the Paschal Liturgy early this morning. We did our best festal triple peal with change ringing that a couple of new guys could muster. One of our choir members, Dorothy Nowik, was so moved she was in tears during the procession and couldn't sing! People were asking me afterward if I had been to Russia to learn to ring the bells and everyone was completely over the top about how wonderful they sounded.
We now have two schools of thought in the parish about whether we want to put them up in the tower or leave them in the South porch. I kind of think it would be classy to have them in the porch where they can be seen more easily. We have a gate we can close so there is an element of security. Either way, we have recieved a great blessing in this parish and I hope we can continue to deal with you in the years to come for advice and perhaps a Blagovest to complete the set!
Your Friend in Christ,
John Cox,
St. Spyridon's Cathedral
Seattle, Washington
Pascha, 2000
Deli Guys Say, "Awesome!"
>From St. Spyridon's Cathedral Bulletin, February 2001:
"We have received many comments from the neighborhood about how much they like all the new bells, especially when John Cox is practicing during the week. The director of the Spruce Street School across the street loves the bells and says the kids really enjoy hearing them, the guys at the deli say they sound "awesome!", the residents in the Grandview Apartments think they really add to the neighborhood, and two of the Pemco Security guards say they hope we get more!"
Property Values on the Rise in Seattle Because of St. Spyridon's Bells
We're informed that the Cascade Neighborhood Association played a recording of our bells at the start of a presentation to the Seattle City Council in early 2001, on the charm of the neighborhood and how it should be preserved against some undesirable commercial development!