Tolling bells to remember 5 years of war

BANGOR – Church bells across the state will ring for five minutes at noon today to mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, the Maine Council of Churches announced Tuesday.

Dozens of churches from Biddeford to Bangor and Fryeburg to Dover-Foxcroft will participate in the memorial.

“This is a way for churches to call our community to remember all that we grieve and all that we hope for in the midst of war,” the Rev. Jill Job Saxby, the council’s executive director, said in a press release.

“We are inundated by the tragic facts and numbing statistics of the war, but too often do not allow ourselves to grieve the loss of life, the strain on families or the mental anguish of veterans,” Saxby said. “This is a call to remember.”

Church bells have long been used as a call to gather or to mark an occasion.

“We hope all those who hear our bell will be inspired to join us in prayer for peace,” said the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Shambaugh, dean of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Luke in Portland.

Some churches will follow the bells with prayer services or vigils, according to Congregational Outreach Coordinator Eric C. Smith.

“Many congregations are holding services of remembrance during the anniversary week,” Smith said.

“Ringing bells is a way for churches to unite in a common voice, across denominations and across Maine, to call and pray for peace,” he added.

Participating churches in the Bangor Daily News coverage area include:

. All Souls Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Bangor.

. Forest Avenue Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Bangor.

. Hammond Street Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Bangor.

. St. John Catholic Church, Bangor.

. St. Mary Catholic Church, Bangor.

. Unitarian Universalist Church, Bangor.

. St. Ann Catholic Church, Bradley.

. Holy Family Catholic Church, Old Town.

. Unitarian Universalist Church of Sangerville and Dover-Foxcroft.

. Union Evangelical Church, United Church of Christ, Greenville.

The Maine Council of Churches represents nine denominations, including Roman Catholic, Protestant and Unitarian Universalist churches.