“The tolling of this bell is, of course, in mourning for those who tragically lost their lives here. And it`s a reminder, for those who choose, that there`s eternal life; that God has received these gentle souls into the arms of his mercy.” —the Rev. James Cooper, rector at Trinity Church.The Bell of Hope was a gift from London`s St. Mary-le-Bow, which is the sister church to St. Paul`s Chapel. Installed in the churchyard of St. Paul`s Chapel in September 2002, the Bell of Hope is rung at a ceremony every year on September 11th. It has also been rung after the bombings in Madrid, 2004; London, 2005; Mumbai, 2008; Moscow, 2010; and the Boston Marathon, 2013; and for the shootings at Virginia Tech, 2007 and in Norway, 2011. In the tradition of the FDNY`s salute to fallen firefighters, St. Paul`s clergy tolls the bell in four sets of five rings.The inscription “To the Greater Glory of God And in Recognition of The Enduring Links Between The City of London And The City of New York”The bronze bell was cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London`s East End. The foundry was founded in 1570 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It is where the U.S. symbol of independence, the Liberty Bell was cast in 1752. This foundry also cast Big Ben, the bell in Elizabeth`s Tower at the Houses of Parliament, in 1859Beneath the bell is a stylized map of the footprints of the World Trade Center complex as it stood before the attacks and destruction of September 11th 2001. The Twin Towers are clearly visible, surrounded by the lower-rising buildings making up the complex.
