GREENFIELD — Anyone who wondered for whom the bell tolled throughout the downtown between Sept. 27 and Oct. 6 need not wonder any longer.
Second Congregational Church on Court Square joined its sister church in Westwood to honor the first 200,000 people who died from COVID-19 in the United States, Rev. Susan Tarolli said, by tolling the bell.
“They invited us to consider tolling our bell and we thought it was a pretty cool idea, so we decided to do it,” Tarolli said. “It was important for us to use visual and audible means during a time when we can’t be together in close proximity to honor those who were lost to the disease.”
She said she extended the invitation to church members and staff and some jumped at the chance to climb the long climb to the bell near the top of the steeple.
“We had a variety of people volunteer,” she said.
Because of social distancing, either individuals, like herself, or families arrived each morning to be the next to do the honors. For each of the ten days, the bell was tolled, which means there was a pause between each ring, 20 times, each toll representing 1,000 victims until they had reached 200,000 on the tenth day.
Everyone wore a mask, just because it is a requirement when on the property. Tarolli said in-person services are not being held, but she and others do come to the church for different reasons and when they do, they wear a mask and social distance.
Member Doug Clarke, the man who has been the bell’s caretaker for many years, and his wife, Amy, were more than happy to volunteer, and brought two of their grandsons to experience it with them.
“It is certainly a momentous period we are all living through,” Clarke said. “It’s difficult to grasp the enormity. More than 200,000 people have died in such a short period of time. It was an honor to be able to remember them this way.
“We’ve all felt sad privately, but this was a way for everyone to share grief, whether directly involved in the tolling of the bell or listening to it from the street,” he said. “It’s a very special thing. Something very special to toll a church bell in the steeple of a church on the Town Common.”
Clarke said bells are tolled or rung — tolling involves a pause, where ringing happens continuously, one after the other. The bell is used for both sad and celebratory reasons.
“We ring them at Christmas, for weddings and for many other joyous occasions,” he said. “A long rope hangs from the top of the steeple down three stories through it. When you ring it, it’s a lot easier, and typically for a happy reason. You just keep pulling the rope. When you toll the bell, you stop the rope between each ring. That takes some effort to stop the bell from swaying back and forth.”
Clarke said as he and his grandson tolled the bell, he thought about how many times that had happened since it was placed there in 1869.
“It’s been there for a century and a half, and people have rung or tolled it for so many different reasons,” he said. “My 10-year-old grandson, Cooper Whitney, was curious about why we were doing it. So, I explained. He’s old enough to understand.”
On the other hand, his 4-year-old grandson, Will Holdsworth-Clarke, didn’t quite understand, but had a great time.
“Amy and I took Will, and then Amy took Cooper another day,” he said. “I went one day by myself and the minister, church administrator, church members Sue and Lenny Weeks and Jason and Eliandra Snape and others were there to make sure it happened every morning for 10 days.
“It was all so humbling and heartbreaking and symbolic — all at the same time.”
Tarolli said the bell is something the church can share with the community, even those who aren’t members of the church. She said sharing grief and prayer for those who have died from COVID-19 was a special opportunity for everyone.
The bell typically rings throughout the day — a computerized carillon makes sure of it. The 10-day event was special, though, because it required a manual tolling of the bell.
“It’s a right of passage in many churches to be able to ring or toll the bell,” Tarolli said. “This went beyond that; it was a sacred pause that we were all very intentional about. We just wanted everyone to remember those who were lost.”
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.