Ring in about a bell

A church in Tanzania is ringing out an appeal ... for a bell.

The church was built five years ago in the town of Arumeru, but still doesn’t have a bell to call parishioners to worship.

And they want the real thing, not an electronic unit, both because of tradition and the fact that electrical services may not always be reliable.

“A bell is very important in the Catholic tradition,” says Mointini Ako, who lives in Brownstown and in his spare time funraises to help the work of locally-born priest Dan Noud in Tanzania. “It’s in one sense the symbol of communication between a church and its community, marking the times and days. But it is also important for warning of local emergencies.”

So, if any parish in the area has a spare bell, having perhaps upgraded to the electronic versions which can be programmed to work automatically, they can get in touch with Mointini and he will collect and ship it out.

Meantime, he wants to express his gratitude to all who have recently donated a wide range of items for a container of aid which he’s organising for Fr Dan’s school and clinic projects in Nangwa and Mogitu..

“We have got the beds we need for the Girls School, and we have received a good number of text-books for the school. We have also some piping, and desks, and doors. But we could do with some windows. They don’t need to be perfect, because it is warm in Tanzania, but they are required to keep out the dust and the wind.”

Gutters, paint, electrical switches and sockets are also welcome.

Contact Mointini at 085 1182776 or Michael McLoughlin at 086 709872.