A
church bell is a
bell which is rung in a
church either to signify the
hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a
wedding,
funeral, or other
service. In
Christianity, many
Anglican,
Catholic, and
Lutheran churches ring their church bells from
belltowers three times a day, at 6:00 A.M., 12:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M., summoning the Christian faithful to recite the
Lord’s Prayer, or the
Angelus, a prayer recited in honour of the
Incarnation of God. Bells are commonly rung in celebration, such as after a wedding or service of thanksgiving, and sometimes (usually just a single bell) after funerals as the coffin leaves or is interred. Before modern communication methods, in small communities church bells were the common way to call the community together for all purposes, both sacred and secular.