SENGLEA THROUGH THE AGES – 54 & 55

 

The proposals of Parish priest Bonnici for the ringing of bells in 1778

 

     At the beginning of Canon Bonnici’s time as Parish priest, the parish of Senglea asked for specific regulations re bell ringing at funerals. The answer to the recourse submitted on the 12th January 1778 was given by Mons Gejt Grech, who was acting on behalf of the Bishop, on the 27th February 1778. What actually happened was that the Curia asked Canon Bonnici for his ideas and approved all that he required. The following is the proposals made by the Parish priest.

      

       Canon Bonnici explained that the two large bells were commissioned during his time as Curate that is between 1762 and 1778. These two bells were an added attraction. The other three older bells were good too. Dun Frangisk Mugliet made the recourse in the name of the Solidality of the Clergy and the Parish priest Bonnici wanted to give him a helping hand.

      

       Every viaticum was announced by the ringing of the four bells. The difference was that three by three tolls were sounded when the viaticum was for a layman; for a priest the tolling was five by five tolls and for the Parish priest seven by seven tolls. Four bells used to be rung when the Blessed Sacrament was returning to the church, but if the viaticum was for the Parish priest all five bells used to ring when the Blessed Sacrament left the church and on its return.

     

      During a parishioner’s agony thirty three separate tolls were rang every hour. The bell used was the third bell not the second. For clerics the tolls were one by one toll for the first hour, two by two for the second hour and three by three tolls for the third hour. The same procedure was used for the clergy but the bell used was the fourth bell and for the Parish priest the fifth bell was rung. Here by the fifth bell we mean the largest bell.

 

     When a layman died the second bell used to toll five tolls by five tolls for five times. For clerics who served in the church same method was used but the third bell was used. In between each set of tolls a separate toll was rung using the second bell. For the clergy the fourth bell was used and seven tolls by seven tolls were rung and in between each set a toll with the third bell was rung for seven times. For the Parish priest the same procedure was used but the fifth bell, the largest that is, was rung and in between each set a toll by the fourth bell was rung.

 

     There were other regulations regarding funerals – transport to the church and the burials. This subject will be treated later on.

SENGLEA THROUGH THE AGES – 55

 

Funerals in Senglea just over 200 years ago

 

     From what Dun Salv Bonnici proposed just after his elevation to Parish priest we can see what traditions were observed in Senglea during funerals.

 

     Up to that time only two bells were rung during funerals. Two ‘moti’ were rung. The family of the deceased made an offer of two irbighajn for each ‘mota’ (a continual ringing of the bells for about ten minutes). The Parish priest proposed that the ‘moti’ would be rung by the three smaller bells. The offer for each mota was fixed at six irbighajn (about 4c in our present currency).

 

     A ‘mota’ used to be rung while the deceased person was being carried from his home to the church accompanied by the priest and clergy who would also be present during the church service but the burial service was always carried out in a private way. The ‘mota’ was rung for three continuous days in remembrance.

 

     For the priests who were members of the Solidality the ‘mota’ took a more solemn tone. Instead of the three bells four were used. For the funeral of the Parish priest all bells were rung. Mass was said for a whole year in remembrance of the Parish priest and all the bells were rung to announce this Mass. All this seem to be excessive because up to the time of Parish priest Dun Fortunat Vella three bells were rung in the case of a priest and four bells in the case of the Parish priest.

 

     Parish priest Bonnici wrote that those who see difference in the way funerals were held should not complain. The people who throughout their lives gave service to the church should have a more solemn funeral than others. The difference was not just between the laymen and the clergy, but also between those priests who were members of the Solidality and those who were not. There was also difference between clerics who served in the church and others who did not. In those days there were clerics who had not inclination to become priests. They were under the direction of the Bishop but they could still get married and form a family. They still used to wear the priestly garb and take part in church ceremonies and processions.

 

     These proposals were presented by Parish priest Bonnici for the Curia’s approval on the 27th January 1778. The Vicar General Grech, as representative of the Bishop, approved them in their entirety and on the 12th February 1778 registered them as a Curia’s degree.

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