Power of Bells

The power of bells rings loud across Lisle, Illinois!

This past Easter, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church unveiled their new bell tower to the community, thanks to an anonymous donor. This unique tower shows the beauty of the refurbished bells with its open and “arch” like design.

The Church has acquired and had in their possession five historical bells. “For so many years our people… thought of them as anachronistic decorations,” said Father of St. Joan of Arch. “When they heard them ring… they recognized that these were living symbols that have a profound impact on the religious psyche of a community.” Two bells are from the parish by the Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery. A fourth bell was given to the parish by Monks of St. Procopius Abbey and the fifth recently was donated by the Lisle Heritage Society. Therefore, it was time to provide the bells a home together. But first, the refurbishment of the bells to show their true colors and inscriptions.

Possibly one of the most interesting parts of this project is the inscription on the largest bell. A rough translation of the Czech text inscribed reads as followed…

Oh, the sacred and godly bell!

As your heart begins to beat in you

Let the hearts of all drown in prayer

May your clear sound protect everyone!

When your voice in the temple is called to godliness

Let the people draw before the alter with sweet power

Blessed dreams would flow to the couple

May your prayer reach God

And the soul you have ring to the edge

Your music will accompany the gate to Heaven.

This truly shows the power of bells to the faithful.

The custom arch like tower stands 25 feet tall and houses all 5 bells, side by side. Each bell has the ability to swing, and the largest bell can also toll with an outside striker. With a long roof to top off the tower, and two legs, the horizontal structure is one of the more unique towers you will find.

The Verdin Company is happy to have created this landmark for you community. We hope the bells continue to serve as the “Voice of God”, and the presence of St. Joan of Arc is heard.

See a video of the manufacturing process on our YouTube!

Historic Clock Tower Restoration

Let’s revisit some historic clock tower restoration projects and their new life! The Verdin Company would like to show you inside the towers and the stories of the restorations. First lets introduce each project. St. Peter Catholic Cathedral is in Erie, Pennsylvania built into a beautiful brick structure.

Bell and Carillon Projects – Featured 2021

The year 2021 brought some pretty unforgettable bell and carillon projects for The Verdin Company. These are just a few. The five customers featured recently held dedications for important restorations and new bell ringing equipment projects and/or installations.

Historic church bells note city anniversary

There is more than one way to preserve the sound of historic church bells. These in a decorative clock tower to note a city Anniversary is one we love at The Verdin Company.

Oakland City University dedicates clock and bell tower

Campus is a special place

A campus is a place of interwoven experiences, a place to live, learn, work and play. It’s a place to fall in love and a place to build lifelong friendships. The community of students, staff, faculty and alumni connect with the school history and traditions. These are embraced as a basis of pride and distinction.

Traditions, old and new, make it special

The Verdin Company shares with honor this story of Oakland City University which trusted us to enhance their special campus. How? with the installation of Verdin custom manufactured 50′ clock and bell tower. Talk about tradition! The tower was recently dedicated in the name of Jerry Phillips, Class of 1959, and professor from 1963 until retirement in 2001.

This excerpt from the invocation prayer by Dr. Douglas Low, Dean of the Seminary, illustrates how such installations inspire campus communities.

“We seek to honor your servant, Jerry Phillips, who spent hours upon hours in work on this campus…

May this Clock now mark the minutes and hours of our service here, reminding us as we pass by, of the passing of time; the bells asking us to check the quality of our obedience, and alerting us to measure our minutes by acts of integrity, justice, and loving-kindness.

May its music gladden our steps and encourage us to be cheerful givers of our time to each other and to our students, and amid all our duties may its songs remind us to offer you praise for having given us this moment to live and to love.”

This article covering the dedication by 14News contains video of the dedication and quotes Dr. Ron Dempsey, the President of Oakland City University,
“Clearly, it’s going to be the iconic structure on campus. As you come up the entrance, it’s the first thing you’re going to see. Also, I think it adds an even more collegiate feel to the University.”

With appreciation

We are grateful to President Dempsey and Oakland State University, for your trust to manufacture and install this one-of-a-kind tower.

The Verdin Company has partnered with more than 1,000 colleges and universities – big and small – to create treasured campus landmarks. If you’d like to learn more about our campus work click through!

Bell and clock tower at The University of Mississippi

Peddle Bell Tower

36 stunning bronze bells in the Peddle Bell Tower ring out a message of inspiration in the daily life at a public university. A keyboard enables the carillonneur to perform right on the instrument. The system can also be operated by a computerized, automatic system to ring out the hour, half hour, and special music such as The University of Mississippi alma mater. The bell tower and carillon are a gift to the university from Frank and Marge Peddle of Oxford.

Walking across a college or university campus can be one of the most memorable experiences of “place” that people ever encounter. At a university, prospective students, their parents, and faculty count the overall feel of a campus as one of the key decision points when selecting a school. The campus can have a calming effect as well as offer initial impression of the level of education and care that will be provided. In a sense, a campus is a temporary home to many different people who have many different needs. The challenge is making that home feel comfortable and a “place” they will remember fondly, come back to, support, and encourage the next generation of family to attend.

Veterans, Fire, & Police Tribute Tower

The Village of Evendale, Ohio honored the village’s veterans, fire and police with the installation of a Tribute Tower in time for the 2017 Memorial Day weekend.

Verdin designed and built the tower and is casting the 24″ bronze bell on site using their mobile Bell Foundry on Wheels.

“We are pleased to join with the town of Evendale to honor veterans, firefighters and police officers in such a long-lasting and visible way,” said Jim Verdin, president of The Verdin Company. “Each Tribute Tower instills a collective pride in the communities they serve.”

The Tribute Tower stands at 30 feet tall and includes four clock faces that read, “Take Time to Remember.” The tower also includes an electronic carillon that plays Westminster chime and hour strikes, patriotic and seasonal music.

Verdin to Mark 175th Anniversary

To commemorate this milestone, the company will hold celebrations over the course of the year. The special events will include open house factory tours, customer receptions, bell castings in our factory and throughout the United States with the world’s only traveling bell foundry. Guests will learn about the incredible craftsmanship and artistry that has made Verdin well known as the maker of the world’s finest bell instruments and clocks for 175 years.