Workers remove the cross from St. Patrick Parish-Georgetown’s bell tower last month as part of a refurbishing project.
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
GEORGETOWN — After several delays due to rain and soft ground, the St. Patrick Church bell tower, cross and bell were removed June 23 for a refurbishing project.
And work on Highway 34 has called for weekly notices being sent out to parishioners about how to get to the church property as the roadway goes right in front of it.
Parishioners set up chairs on the church property, but left plenty of space for workers. They watched as workers used a crane to first remove the cross on top of the steeple, the wooden steeple and finally the bell.
Sharon Crall, pastoral associate at St. Patrick in Georgetown, said there was a leakage problem that they knew about for a while. But it got to the point that work needed to be done. “It finally came to life.”
The current church itself, originally named St. Gregory, was completed in 1865. In 1899 the current bell was installed, along with a bell tower and a cross on top.
The bell stopped ringing about 10 years ago, she noted. While checking out the situation at that point, it was realized that there was wood rot and some structural problems with the wood, she noted.
After weather delays due to rains and soft ground, June 23 “could be no more perfect,” Crall said. The ground was dry enough and there was no wind. Throughout the day, parishioners came and went often reclining in chairs they brought along.
First, the cross was removed. Crall said a Celtic Cross will replace the one taken down. “After 127 years, it was not in good shape.” Next, the bell tower, or belfry, was hoisted down. “A new one is being built and will be made out of aluminum,” she said. “It will be a replica of what we took down,” she noted. The bell was last. Weighing in at more than 1,200 pounds the crane lowered it with ease.
Mike Pasut, a parishioner and historian of Monroe County, said during an interview with KIIC radio, “Imagine what it took to put it up over 125 years ago: horses, ropes and pulleys.”
Sitting on the ground, parishioners got to see the bell before its refurbishment. Crall said in addition to dirt and grime from other the years, there are a few layers of grey paint to be removed. It will be restored to its original state and sealed.
The bell’s engraving on one side states: Presented to St. Patrick Georgetown, Iowa, in memory of James McFadden. “Pray for Me.”
Joe Sinclair, parishioner and lay director, said he has been in the bell tower many times over the years, in an interview with KIIC’s Pat Powers. Regarding the inscription “pray for me” he said he would pray for McFadden each time he was up there.
The other side of the bell is imprinted with Baltimore, MD, 1898.
McFadden, a former member of the parish, left money to the church when he died in 1898. Money was used for the bell. It was cast in Baltimore and shipped to Iowa. It was installed in 1899.
After its June 23 removal from atop the church, the bell was loaded into a pickup truck and driven to Albia and parked in front of the local bank for residents to see. Crall said Albia police said they would keep an eye on it. Then it was sent for refurbishment at McShane Bell Company outside St. Louis.
Father Issac Essel, pastor of St. Patrick Parish, told Albiatv/KIIC that “This is a wonderful moment for us. Georgetown is a very special church.”
The project has been talked about since his arrival and it was now the time to get it done.
The hope is that the refurbished bell, new bell tower and new Celtic Cross will be installed in time for the annual “God’s Portion Day” held Labor Day weekend. This celebration draws crowds from all over and is like a family reunion, Crall said.
