Old Blighty bells blessed in Geraldton

They were the bells that fell off the back of a truck.

Well, at least they were taken from the rear end of a truck and placed out the front of St Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral in Geraldton for a blessing and dedication ceremony.

Then they were put back on the truck and taken to the beach for a festival.

It was a busy Easter Sunday for the 27 bells — Geraldton’s latest imports.

They were seen on Sunday by many; in the not too distant future, they will be heard by all.

It will take about a month to get the bells installed and operational at the cathedral but such was far from the minds of all last Sunday as many eyes looked over and fell in love with them.

After the main Sunday mass at the cathedral, Bishop Michael Morrissey blessed the bells, which were adorned with flowers.

Business leaders and community-minded people who had “bought” the bells stood in front of them as the Bishop christened each bell with holy water while giving it the name of the saint which the bell-buyer wanted.

Of course, the Bishop gave a little extra attention to the bell which was christened St Michael.

One of the two biggest bells was named after Archbishop John Hawes, the architect of many churches in the Mid West.

After the service, the bells, made in a foundry in England and described as a “unique mix of ancient and modern”, were put back on a truck and taken to the end of Cathedral Avenue — to be a star attraction at the Wind on Water festival.