- Photo by Mike McLaughlin of the New York Daily News
Such wonderful timing! If you have been involved in the fervent discussion during the past few days on the “War of the Bells” post regarding St. Thomas Aquinas Church ringing the bells every hour on the hour and a nearby resident’s (artistic) opposition towards this, you must check out today’s Daily News article. The article interviews John Russo and chronicles his pleas to various different groups to try to get the bell-ringing ceased. Perhaps this story will do the trick?
For prior coverage on this issue, see the original “War of the Bells” post.
I live in Marine Park 4 blocks from the Church and I love the bells. They are actually chimes that play a short tune. We are lucky to have these bells as they give the neighborhood great character. Russo needs to move to the country. His signs are a disgrace. We will soon be getting a petition to remove his signs and backing the church bells. If he got 58 signatures against the bells, we can get a thousand supporting them.
I do not understand why he just does not MOVE! No one likes him, everyone thinks he is nuts. The bells are beautiful, we have much more to worry about. Kids getting shot while walking home from school, unemployment up to 10% in NY, two wars going on! As someone said before get a life!
MOVE!!!!!!!
@Carmine and @Pietro:
He shouldn’t have to move. He owns his property and he has a right to a certain standard of living. The Church, as per usual, ignores the community and does what it wants.
The real solution would be to close to Church and chase all these neophytes out of town but considering all of you deluded people that actually believe in god we should compromise and the Church should only ring its bells at Noon and on Sunday.
Useless eh? Like those Bells?
Please explain what function these Bells serve? Marine Park is not a small town in the middle of nowhere. These Bells ringing affect real people that have real rights and live right next door. People that bought property and this constant ringing is devaluing. Even if they WANTED to move to get away they can’t because by not disclosing the problems with the Bell they break the law. Nobody in their right mind would buy their property right now.
Nobody is saying to remove the Bell or turn it off forever. They are asking that the Bell be reserved for Religious Observance and Special Occasions. That thing should only ring on Holidays, Sunday Mass, and perhaps special occasions like Weddings or Funerals.
Not Every Day. That’s simply not fair to people who live there religious or not. Why is there no compromise? The Pastor wont even meet with community leaders. That’s nothing but lack of respect for the community.
The irony is, in the Mountains you religious yahoos could ring your bell all day long and nobody would give a fuck.