Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

As the Christmas season nears, Catholics in the Archdiocese of Louisville have rallied to address the non-functioning spire clock and silent bells at the Shrine of St. Martin of Tours. Through participation in the #iGiveCatholic campaign, $111,461 was raised for restoration efforts at St. Martin's, located at 639 S. Shelby St.

This year, 29 parishes and schools within the Archdiocese participated in the #iGiveCatholic campaign on December 3rd. The annual fundraiser held on Giving Tuesday allows these institutions to gather funds for specific needs. By December 10th, a total of $465,073 had been collected from 1,376 donors.

The archdiocese saw an increase of 476 donors compared to last year—its first year participating—and donations more than doubled. Nine local participants exceeded their fundraising goals, including the Shrine of St. Martin of Tours which achieved 111% of its $100,000 target.

For the second consecutive year, the shrine not only raised the most funds within the archdiocese but also attracted the highest number of donors with 244 contributors. Nationally, it ranked 23rd for funds raised.

Other participants made notable progress towards their financial objectives. Holy Angels Academy secured $41,682 or 83% of its $50,000 goal to replace its HVAC system.

Schools and parishes used creative multimedia and social media campaigns to highlight their projects. Ascension School produced a video featuring students appealing to potential donors while also incentivizing social media engagement through sharing and commenting.

St. John Paul II Academy collaborated with its parish to create comedic videos starring Father Casey Sanders as part of their fundraising effort.

The Shrine of St. Martin shared a trailer parodying "The Bells of St. Mary’s," renamed “The Bells of St. Martins,” alongside information about church bells' spiritual significance and project details on social media.

“The church itself is a representative of the faith,” stated Father Paul Beach, rector of the shrine in an interview.

He explained that bells symbolize "a voice that rings out the presence of God" and serve as "a public way to pronounce the faith." However, he noted that “the voice of St. Martin’s has fallen silent over the years” with only one bell currently operational.

Funds will restore full functionality to all three bells originally cast in Cincinnati and Louisville during the mid-1800s weighing between 800 lbs and 3,500 lbs each according to information from #iGiveCatholic website.

Father Beach expressed excitement about restoring both bells' full soundscape along with repairing original spire clock inactive since 2022 due partly due conversion from lead weights requiring weekly winding into electric motor operation post-1940s modification: “No one remembers what it sounds like for all three bells ringing simultaneously.”