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Bill Yenne and grandson Cash Yenne Bolos are pictured in the bell tower of St. Philip the Apostle Church in San Francisco. Yenne and other members of the St. Philip Belfry Society are ringing the big tower as a sign of solidary during the pandemic. (Courtesy photo)
March 29, 2020
Catholic San Francisco
Volunteers at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco are ringing the big church bell daily as a sign of solidarity during the coronavirus pandemic.
The St. Philip Parish Belfry Society is ringing the bell in the church tower at noon on weekdays, 5 p.m. Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Bell captain David Castellanos rang Tuesday March 24, Bill Yenne was in the next day at noon with his grandson Cash Yenne Bolos, and after that group members have been taking turns, Yenne told Catholic San Francisco.
In addition to Castellanos and Yenne, St. Philip Belfry Society members include Todd Siemers, Andrew DeGrandi, Jane Perry, Arturo Pena, Mary Staunton, Mary Sullivan, Oscar Sullivan and Daniel Roddick.
Yenne shared the news in a Facebook post titled "Ringing of Bells in a Time of Darkness."
It was a nearly a year ago when Yenne and his grandson rang the St. Philip bell in hope and solidarity as Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris burned, a story featured in the April 29, 2019, issue of Catholic San Francisco.
At the time, Yenne reflected on bells as an ancient form of connection in the church.
“Bells have long been the voice of the church and churches, a form of communication technology predating telephones, telegraph and the internet, yet still viable and still impressive,” he said. “They express jubilation in times of joy, and solidarity in times of calamity.”
Bill explained the physics of bell ringing.
“There is a two-part ring with two separate bell ropes,” he said. “The main rope runs around a wheel, the axle of which is connected to the headstock of the bell. The pulling rolls the wheel which, in turns, tips the bell and causes the clapper to hit the inside. Because of its weight, the rolling bell builds up enough momentum to practically ring itself. We normally ring this way for about a minute or two.”