“Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." Psalm 19:4
Ringing For Service A gift from many for manyThe story of St. Andrew’s bells is a long one. At first there was one bell that arrived in 1875 that first rang at the pro-Cathedral. The eight change-ringing bells in service today were the gift of Mr. Laith Reynolds of Sydney, Australia. Their installation in the Macintosh Tower was the gift of HRH Abigail Kawananakoa. The tower was a gift by friends of the Cathedral to honor Canon Alexander Macintosh’s wife, Alice. The tower rang with the pro-cathedral bell but waited 80 years before receiving the eight-bell peal in service today. Today, they are the most remote set of change ringing bells in the Anglican and Episcopal world and a point of pilgrimage for bell ringers the world over
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To learn about how to become a ringer or book a tour of the tower, contact the Tower Captain Richard Harris at:
808-321-0747 or send an email to [email protected]
You can follow StARS on their Instagram page at: instagram.com/hibellringers
808-321-0747 or send an email to [email protected]
You can follow StARS on their Instagram page at: instagram.com/hibellringers
The Bells Arrive
The bells arriving decorated with lei, ti and the banner: “The bells of St Andrew’s for the people of Hawaii” Governor John Waihee, Hawai’i’s first Native Hawaiian Governor issued a proclamation to welcome the bells of St Andrew’s citing the bell’s connection to England’s long friendship between the English and Hawaiian monarchs. Waihee noted the international context of the bells in service at the Anglican mission founded by King Alexander Liholiho and Queen Emma and the timing of its arrival on the centennial of Queen Lili’uokalani’s ascent to the throne. |
Decorating the Bells
Leonilda Chang, left, and Lani Eaton decorate two of the eight bells donated to St Andrew’s Cathedral.The bells will make their way from Aloha Tower to St. Andrew’s Cathedral where the bells are scheduled to ring out here for the first time Easter Sunday. Photo Credit: The Star Advertiser |
Installation Ceremony
The Right Reverend Donald P Hart, Bishop of Hawaii, The Very Reverend Hollinshead T. Knight, Dean of St Andrew’s Cathedral and Mr. Laith Reynolds, donor of the peal of bells at the installation ceremony. |
The First Pro-Cathedral Bell
King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma of Hawaii officially celebrated Christmas in 1856 as a day of Thanksgiving. On Christmas Eve of 1858 Mary Dominis threw a party at Washington Place featuring the first instance of a Christmas tree and Santa Claus in Hawaii. King Kamehameha IV declared it an official holiday in 1862. There was no bell from St. Andrew’s ringing yet in Honolulu. In 1875 a 600 lb. bell made by the bell-founder firm Warner in England, arrived in Hawai‘i to be hung in the pro-Cathedral. When the bell was dedicated it was stated rather pointedly in the local press: “May its summons be heeded by many who disregarded the old one”. When the Mackintosh Tower was completed in 1912, the bell was moved there and was in service until 1991, when the present peal of eight bells was hung in the Tower and rang on Easter Sunday 1991. |
St Alkmund’s Church bells
The eight bell peal that presently rings from the Macintosh Tower comes from St. Alkmund’s Church in Shrewsbury, England with a long history of its own. Three were cast by Henry Oldfield, with two of them dated 1586 and 1588. In 1621, St. Alkmund’s original three bells were melted down after many years in service, John Clibury cast five bells and a treble bell was added in 1695. They were cast by John Briant, a well-known bell-founder and turret clockmaker in Hertford, England, who lived from 1749 to 1829. Briant made 420 bells over a forty-five year career. By 1811 the bells and the fittings at St Alkmund’s were so worn that they were unsafe to use. The bells were taken down and this time John Briant cast eight bells from the molten metal. This new set of eight bells first sounded at St. Alkmund’s on Easter of 1812 and on Whitsunday the first peal of Oxford Treble Bob Major, consisting of 5,000 changes, was rung. Two years later the bells of St. Alkmund’s celebrated Wellington’s victory in Spain and, in 1815, his decisive triumph over Napoleon at Waterloo. Thereafter they rang out over the city and the England-Wales border country on momentous occasions such as coronations and royal visits to Shrewsbury, even the death of King Edward VII. They were taken out of service in 1972 and were acquired by Mr Laith Reynolds for the cathedral of St Andrew, Honolulu. So it was that in 1990 the bells were removed, refitted at the famous foundry at Whitechapel in London, and engraved with the names of kings and queen of Hawaii before their journey halfway around the world to their new home in the Macintosh Tower at St. Andrew’s. |
The Mackintosh Tower (Bell Tower)
Mackintosh Tower, referred to as the Bell Tower, rises high above the other buildings in the close. The tower was added in 1912 as a memorial to Alice Mackintosh, the beloved wife of Canon Alexander Macintosh. As with Davies Hall and the unifying cloister, it was designed by B. F. Ingelow to ensure harmony throughout the Cathedral complex. The tower is composed of a spiral stone staircase with 50 steps leading to the ringing room and another 10 steps up to the belfry and finally another 50 steps up to the roof and top of the tower commanding a view of Queen Emma Square.
Each of the eight bells are named to honor the Hawaiian monarchs starting with Kamehameha the Great as the tenor, the largest bell weighing 1370 pounds, and downward in size to the treble, Lili’uokalani, weighing about 595 pounds. Bell Five is named King Kamehameha IV Alexander Liholiho who together with his Queen Emma, founded the Episcopal mission. Bell Four is named after his brother Lot, King Kamehameha V who laid the cornerstone for the cathedral.
The original band recruited from the parish were trained by bell ringers from around the world, including Mr. Reynolds during this exciting time. The bells have rungfor among other occasions for the ordination of Honorary Canon of the Cathedral of St. Andrew Malcolm Chun, a visit from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, memorial services for the Rev. Canon David Kennedy and his wife, and installation of the present Dean of the Cathedral, the Very Rev. Heather L. Patton-Graham. The 3rd generation of ringers are teaching new students to join in the ministry of ringing the bells for service. Bells ring in joy and sadness for the living and the dead, and ringers come and go over the years but the tower stands faithfully to be for the people of Hawaii. The band practices on Sundays 4-5pm and Tuesdays 6:30-8pm with extra sessions for learners training to join the band.
Each of the eight bells are named to honor the Hawaiian monarchs starting with Kamehameha the Great as the tenor, the largest bell weighing 1370 pounds, and downward in size to the treble, Lili’uokalani, weighing about 595 pounds. Bell Five is named King Kamehameha IV Alexander Liholiho who together with his Queen Emma, founded the Episcopal mission. Bell Four is named after his brother Lot, King Kamehameha V who laid the cornerstone for the cathedral.
The original band recruited from the parish were trained by bell ringers from around the world, including Mr. Reynolds during this exciting time. The bells have rungfor among other occasions for the ordination of Honorary Canon of the Cathedral of St. Andrew Malcolm Chun, a visit from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, memorial services for the Rev. Canon David Kennedy and his wife, and installation of the present Dean of the Cathedral, the Very Rev. Heather L. Patton-Graham. The 3rd generation of ringers are teaching new students to join in the ministry of ringing the bells for service. Bells ring in joy and sadness for the living and the dead, and ringers come and go over the years but the tower stands faithfully to be for the people of Hawaii. The band practices on Sundays 4-5pm and Tuesdays 6:30-8pm with extra sessions for learners training to join the band.
St. Andrew's Ringing Society (StARS)
English change bell ringing is a unique, challenging skill. It takes many years to become proficient in ringing as a team to produce complex flawless methods (patterns struck in sequence). The ringing is done to call and prepare worshippers to enter the Cathedral or to send them out to love and serve Christ during the week. All bell ringers are volunteers, and are devoted to their avocation which builds a good natured social ‘band’ dedicated to learning to ring well for the cathedral. However, it isn’t all ‘serious work’, StARS has a tradition of going out for supper regularly after Tuesday practice or when we have visiting ringers. The old ledgers of the original St. Alkmund’s ringers also contained frequent expenditures for “ale for ringers.” which documents the social aspect of this ministry.
Band enjoying Sunday brunch after service ringing the full ring of eight.
Band enjoying Sunday brunch after service ringing the full ring of eight.
The St. Andrew’s Ringing Society (StARS) tower is unique in Hawai’i and in America. They are the only tower that rings English style full-circle change ringing in Hawaii. It is the westernmost tower in the Anglican and Episcopal world.. StARS is a group of lay volunteers who serve as a worship ministry for the cathedral and the community. Ringing the bells at the end of 10am Holy Eucharist and on other occasions such as the beginning of the Evensong, the bells sound out from the open hatches of the tower out into the historical district of Honolulu. Calling the faithful to worship, reassuring the community they are loved and prayed for. Many have come to help ring from other towers around the world since 1991. The tower library is full of books autographed and dedicated by well wishers when the bells first arrived. A collection of historical books on ringing and bells was gifted by well wishers when the bells first rang for Easter in 1991.
StARS ringers come from all backgrounds, ages, and spiritual practices. StARS sees its mission as a ministry. They ring for services for the cathedral and its worshippers, and are a resource for the community to share in this tradition to create something beautiful, traditional, and be part of the continuing history of St Andrew’s.
StARS ringers come from all backgrounds, ages, and spiritual practices. StARS sees its mission as a ministry. They ring for services for the cathedral and its worshippers, and are a resource for the community to share in this tradition to create something beautiful, traditional, and be part of the continuing history of St Andrew’s.
Other Resources and Links:
Watch an ʻŌlelo documentary of the bells leaving St. Alkmund’s and making a new home at St Andrew’s in Honolulu
Watch an episode of Spectrum Hawaii first aired May 22, 1991 featuring the Scot’s connection to Hawaiian history featuring the bells of St Andrew and the naming and blessing of the bells and inaugural ringing for Easter 1991.
Read the inscriptions and descriptions of each bell.
See St Andrew’s Tower Listing on the Dove guide.
Watch an episode of Spectrum Hawaii first aired May 22, 1991 featuring the Scot’s connection to Hawaiian history featuring the bells of St Andrew and the naming and blessing of the bells and inaugural ringing for Easter 1991.
Read the inscriptions and descriptions of each bell.
See St Andrew’s Tower Listing on the Dove guide.
Formation
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Outreach
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Pastoral Care
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Social Justice
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Worship
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