In the Roman Catholic Church, an altar bell is a small bell placed on the credence or in some other convenient place on the epistle side of the altar. Its original intention was to draw the parishoners' attention to the occurrence of transubstantiation (especially for those present who did not follow the then-Latin Mass). Catholic Church redirects here. ... Look up Altar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Transubstantiation (from Latin transsubstantiatio) is the change of the substance of bread and wine into that of the body and blood of Christ, the change that according to the belief of the Roman Catholic Church occurs in the Eucharist. ...

Modern usage

In modern times its use in the Mass is considered optional to the consecration. Many parishes do not use them, but they are recommended, and some do continue to use them. (It is at the decision of the individual priest, unless directed otherwise by the hierarchy). Today it usually refers to a hand-held bell or set of bells (usually three). Unsolved problems in physics: What causes anything to have mass? Mass is a property of a physical object that quantifies the amount of matter and energy it is equivalent to. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... Roman Catholic priests in traditional clerical clothing. ...

Traditional usage

In traditional (pre-Vatican II) Catholicism, according to the rubrics it is rung only at the Sanctus and at the elevation of both Species (Miss. Rom., Ritus celebr., tit. vii, n. 8, and tit. viii, n. 6) to invite the faithful to the act of adoration at the Consecration. This must be done even in private chapels (Cong. Sac. Rit., 18 July, 1885). It may also be rung at the "Domine non sum dignus", and again before the distribution of Holy Communion to the laity, and at other times according to the custom of the place. The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ... Sanctus is the Latin word for holy, and is the name of an important hymn of Christian liturgy. ... A chapel is a private church, usually small and often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ... The Eucharist is either the Christian sacrament of consecrated bread and wine or the ritual surrounding it. ...

When the Blessed Sacrament is publicly exposed, The Blessed Sacrament is displayed in a procession at the 2005 Southeastern Eucharistic Congress. ...

1. It may or may not be rung at high Mass, and at a low Mass which takes the place of the high Mass, celebrated at the Altar of Exposition, according to the custom of the place.
2. It is not rung at low Masses at any altar of such church, but in such cases a low signal may be given with the bell at the sacristy door when the priest is about to begin Mass (Gardellini, Instr. Clem., nos. 16, 4, 5).
3. It is not rung at high Mass celebrated at an altar other than that on which the Blessed Sacrament is publicly exposed (Cong. Sac. Rit., 31 August, 1867).

It should not be rung at low Masses whilst a public celebration is taking place, and at any Mass during the public recitation of office in choir, if said Mass be celebrated at an altar near the choir (Cong. Sac. Rit., 21 November, 1893). A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments (such as the cassock and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels and church treasures. ...

It is not rung from the end of the "Gloria in excelsis" on Maundy Thursday to the beginning of the "Gloria in excelsis" on Holy Saturday. During this interval the Memoriale Rituum (Tit. iv, sec. 4, n. 7) prescribes that the clapper (crotalus) be used to give the signal for the Angelus, but it is nowhere prescribed in the liturgical functions. The custom of using the clapper on these occasions appears quite proper. The Cong. Sac. Rit. (10 September, 1898) when asked if a gong may be used instead of the small bell answered, "Negative; seu non convenire". Gloria in Excelsis Deo (Latin for Glory to God in the highest)woot is the title and beginning of the great doxology (song of praise) used in the Roman Catholic Mass and, in translation, in the services of many other Christian churches. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Orthodox pilgrims bathing with the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Holy Saturday. ... The Angelus is a devotion in memory of the Incarnation. ...

It is also called the Mass bell, sacring bell, saints' bell, sance-bell, or sanctus bell.

References

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by The Encyclopedia Press. ...