‘We hold them all up in prayer.’ Church bells rang in Boston Wednesday to honor lives lost to COVID-19

By Breanne Kovatch Globe Correspondent, Updated December 30, 2020, 11:51 a.m.

The Archdiocese of Boston joined other parishes across the country to ring bells Wednesday to honor the lives of the almost 340,000 people in the United States who have died from COVID-19 in 2020, according to a statement.

At noon, the sounds of church bells were heard in Boston in honor of those who have died across the country, including the more than 12,000 people who have died in Massachusetts from the virus, the archdiocese said in a statement Tuesday.

At the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End, the cathedral’s largest bell rang for five minutes in memory of those who have died. After the bell was rung, Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley offered remarks remembering those lost during the pandemic.

Image: Hien Vu rang the bells at St John's Seminary in Brighton at noon. SUZANNE KREITER/GLOBE STAFF