Shepherd of the Hills Church Receives Finest Bells in the World, by Brett Rowland, Find Du Lac Reporter, January 16, 2008

Shepherd of the Hills Church Receives 'Finest Bells in the World'

By Brett Rowland
Find Du Lac Reporter
January 16, 2008

http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080116/FON0101/801160468/1289/FONnews

EDEN — Four historic bells were installed Tuesday at Shepherd of the Hills Church in Eden.

The St. Francis de Sales bells — that once hung at the Cousins Center in Milwaukee — have a long history and are considered to be some of the finest in the state.

"To me, they are the most beautiful bells I've ever seen," said John Witkowiak, president of Lee Manufacturing in Muskego, which recently refurbished the bells.

Bob Herringa of C. D. Smith installs a bell at Shepherd of the Hills Church.
Photo by Patrick Flood

Steve Roltgen, the church's maintenance supervisor, said the addition of the bells completes the church.

"This is going to put it all together," he said. "It's the final piece we needed to make this truly our worship center."

The bells, weighing from 495 pounds to more than a ton, were cast in 1963 at the Paccard foundry in France and shipped to De Sales Preparatory Seminary in Milwaukee. The seminary eventually became the Cousins Center, the former home of the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese. The archdiocese is in the process of selling the Cousins Center to help pay for a $16.6 million sexual abuse settlement with victims of clergy abuse, according to a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan offered the four St. Francis de Sales bells to Shepherd of the Hills when he heard the parish was building a bell tower for its new church, Roltgen said.

Witkowiak's company has overseen the bells since they arrived in Milwaukee. Witkowiak's father, Kuba, cared for the bells before him, so refurbishing the bells and making sure they found a new home was especially important to him.

"I've serviced the bells all my life. I was waiting in the wings and would have bought the bells if the church hadn't," Witkowiak said. "Those are the finest bells in the world, from the best foundry."

Restoring the bells was hard work, he said. Witkowiak refurbished the bells and installed a new striker in one of them. He also put in the master clock, which controls when and how the bells ring.

Shepherd of the Hills parishioner and construction company executive Gary Smith was tasked with building the bell tower and transporting the four bells.

Smith and his company, C.D. Smith Construction of Fond du Lac, first looked at transporting the Cousins Center bell tower to Eden, but determined it wasn't feasible. He then set about building a replica of the bell tower at Shepherd of the Hills.

Smith said he enjoyed the project.

"They're all fun, but this was more than usual," he said.

The bells have yet to ring at their new home. Roltgen and Witkowiak will let the bells peel for the first time on Thursday. On Sundays, the bells will be used to call parishioners to Mass.

Witkowiak will continue to service the bells in the future.