Published January 22. 2025 02:07PM
As parishioners entered St. Ann Church, 415 S. Sixth St., Emmaus Dec. 24, 2024, they were greeted with three huge bells at the main entrance. The restored bells were the result of a combined project between the Knights of Columbus and Boy Scout Troop 80 that began in 2022 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the church.
Life Scout Anthony Romero with Boy Scout Troop 80 decided to make this his Eagle Service Project.
The Knights will be asking students in St. Ann’s School and parishioners to submit their ideas for a memorial design showcasing the bells. Fleming hopes the bells will be able to be rung as they did 100 years ago. However, the committee is still debating whether the bells will be part of a memorial or if they will become used in the bell tower. There are implications for the use of the bell tower. Fleming said “the goal is to have the memorial designed and built before the 100th anniversary of the founding of the parish in 2031.”
ABOVE: The three bells are found in this condition in storage, still attached to their support I-beam. The largest bell was in the back, the smallest in the middle and the medium bell closest to the camera.PHOTO COURTESY OF FRED FLEMMING
RIGHT: Knights of Columbus members Xavier Faura, Bruce Harvey, Eagle Scout Anthony Romero, Mark Schaaf, Eric Zwick and Frank Fernandinho proudly stand with the restored bells Dec. 24, 2024.PRESS PHOTO BY LISA DRAPER
