How the Bells Toll

An electro-mechanical device developed by Felix Silvester of Kochi allows church bells to be remote controlled

March 26, 2014 07:15 pm | Updated May 19, 2016 11:44 am IST - Kochi

Fr. Nicolas demonstrating the remote controlled bell at St. Antony's Church, Kochal near Kochi. Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

Fr. Nicolas demonstrating the remote controlled bell at St. Antony's Church, Kochal near Kochi. Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

An electronic revolution has been changing an old tradition of Catholic churches in Ernakulam and Thrissur. Nearly 12 Catholic churches in Ernakulam and Thrissur districts have installed an electro-mechanical device called ‘Pulsator’, which tolls the bells automatically. The new device installed on church premises eases the job of sextons and vicars.

All these Pulsator connected bells, 17 in total, have been installed by Felix Silvester, an industrial technocrat based in Kochi. The bells in churches toll at regular intervals, informing the laity about timings of mass, novena, vespers, demise of parishioners etc. Traditionally the tolling of bells was done manually by the sextons with the approval of vicars.

“It was at Holy Family Church at South Chittoor that I installed the Pulsator first. The Archbishop Fr. Francis Kallarakkal consecrated the installation on September 8, 2012” Felix says.

The Pulsator is an electro-mechanical device which consists of two units. One is the control unit and the other is a driving unit which tolls the bell. The day, date, time and number of oscillations needed can be preset in the control unit. It can be operated by a call from a mobile phone, enabling control from any part of the world and the tolling of the bell can be heard on the phone. It can be also operated by using a remote control within a radius of 200 metres. The Pulsator is kept secure through a user ID, ensuring its safety. This has been experimentally tested at Holy Family Church.

Easy to install

The Pulsator can be easily incorporated into an existing church bell mechanism without any alterations. Mobile connected Pulsator is needed only in remote areas where a priest is in charge of three or four churches. The device is equipped to function with the help of an inverter. The cost of a Pulsator including its installation amounts to nearly Rs.2,00,000. The cost of a Pulsator connected to two bells is nearly Rs.3,50,000 and for three bells it is close to Rs.5,00,000.

Apart from the Holy Family Church, some of the other churches that have turned high-tech are St. Antony’s Church Vaduthala (three bells), Sacred Heart Church, Thrissur, St. Joseph’s Church & St. Jude shrine, Thevara (two bells), St. Antony’s Church, Kochal near Varappuzha (two bells), Church of Our Lady of Fathima, Eriyadu and St. Mary’s Lourde Church, Chowka (three bells). Multiple bells installed in churches ring alternatively and it is up to the church authorities to decide on the number of Pulsator connected bells to be installed.

“When I was younger I have seen sextons pulling the heavy rope tied to the huge bells in churches many times a day. The sextons have to work the year round without a break. The tolling of bells preceding church rituals is mandatory every day. So I worked out an innovative idea to ease their job”, says Felix, explaining the reason behind the initiative. He has got patent for his church bell ringer from the Government of India.

The experiment was not easy for him in the initial stages. After getting the nod (to erect the Pulsator bell) from the church and the laity, he started work in 2011. It was successfully installed in September 2012.

“It is a perfect technology where manpower is replaced by an electro-mechanical device”, he claims. Earlier he tested the device with compressor connected tolling of bells. But it created too much of a noise.

“There is nothing anti-liturgical about installing Pulsator bells in churches. As time and technology progress, it is a necessity. Our church has installed two bells which cost around Rs.1,75,000 each and they have been sponsored by a parishioner”, says Fr. Nicholas Manipparambil, Vicar of St. Antony’s church, Kochal, near Varapuzha.

Installation of Pulsator bells is on the anvil at churches from Cheranellore to Puthoor in Kollam. Felix has started work on installing a Pulsator bell at Rozario Church, Mangalore, the first church outside Kerala to acquire the facility. The Pulsator is capable of tolling heavy bells. It takes 30 days to assemble and install Pulsators in churches.

Unlike the compressor mechanism, Pulsator is noise pollution free and is suited for the tranquillity of a shrine. There are churches which have installed compressor fitted bells and pre-recorded bell ringing which is played through loudspeakers. Pulsator connected bells can be installed even in temples also, adds Felix. He also offers a two-year service guarantee.

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