Church Bell
The great bell of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel church was manufactured in Troy, New York, by the Meneely Bell Co. in 1928. There are two inscriptions located on the bell, both of which are in Latin. Translations for both inscriptions are provided below. Also, information regarding Cecilia Frances Power and James M. (whom the bell is dedicated) can be found below the images. The photographs were contributed by Ed Glanville.
" Invocation to Mary
Be, Oh Mother, our solace:
Be, thou virgin, our joy;
And after this exile,
Unite us as joyful ones to the choirs of heaven.
Pastor: John James Lanigan "
" This bell, in memory of James M. Power,
Was donated by his wife Caecilia Power.
Blessed by the Most Rev. Edward J. McCarthy,
Archbishop of Halifax
In the year of our Lord 1928
the third of June.
To the greater glory of God "
James Michael Power and Cecilia Frances Power
James Michael Power was born 4 January 1864 in Halifax, Halifax County, Nova Scotia. He was the son of Richard Power (1822-1916) and Susan O'Connor (1829-1922). He married Cecilia France Power, daughter of John Power and Mary Jane White of Prospect, Halifax County, in Boston, Massachusetts on 10 October 1895 . Cecilia was born 17 April 1864 in Prospect, Halifax County, Nova Scotia and died in Halifax 23 July 1930 . James M. died in Halifax at the age of 64 on 5 January 1928 .
Cecilia's family had moved to Boston when she was a child, at the time of her marriage she was a Tailoress. After their marriage James and Cecilia moved back to Halifax. In Halifax James M. operated a liquor store. During prohibition he was granted the status "Legal Vendor" and was able to sell liquor only if prescribed by doctors.
James M. was also known for his love of baseball, which is where he acquired the nickname "Shorty" Power. James would go on to umpire for the Halifax Wanderers baseball club for 29 years and it is said that he attended every World Series baseball game until just before his death in 1928. At the time of his death Cecilia commissioned the bell that would eventually be placed in the belfry of the church in Prospect as a tribute to their long and successful marriage, as well as paying respects to the village where her family established itself so many decades before.
James M and Cecilia would have seven children: Mary Cecilia (1897); Mary Claire (1898); Mary Susie (1899); Mary Elizabeth (1901); Mary Pauline (1903); Edward Francis (1904); and Mary Helen (1906). Their descendants still live in Halifax, Montreal and Ottawa under the surnames Power, Skinner, Fry, Fox, and Penny.
[Portions taken from: Thudium, Thomas Hull. Genealogy of the Power Family of the Clan Sean O'Riesk. Self-published, 1993.]
