Loud Praise

[slacker]

Irregular News for 01.31.07

 

Fairfield, CT -- Tony Caratone likes peace and quiet, but to reclaim it in his little corner of the world, he has not tried to silence a barking dog, blaring rock music or boisterous teenagers.

 

Instead, the culprit that so unsettles Caratone is a carillon at St. Emery's Church blanketing the neighborhood with computerized hymns four times a day.

 

Caratone, 60, who has lived on Warren Avenue for 11 years, said the Catholic church's carillon has made his life "horrendous" since it was installed about five years ago.

 

Caratone said he likes to sleep late Sunday mornings, but the carillon from the Kings Highway church awakens him with a jolt. "It would just blast you right out of bed," he said.

 

In particular, the carillon's hymns get under Caratone's skin, ringing out at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. every day.

 

Caratone said he doesn't mind hearing the bells chiming the hours, but the additional 10 to 12 minutes of computerized music four times a day really get to him. "You just can't believe how obnoxious it is," he said.

 

The loudspeakers in St. Emery's bell tower are about 75 to 100 yards from Caratone's house, and he said he has to double the volume on his television when the carillon begins playing, even when his windows are closed.

 

Contractors who worked in his house said they would go out of their minds if they had to listen to the carillon every day, Caratone said.

 

The Rev. Louis Pintye, St. Emery's pastor, declined to comment on Caratone's criticism of the carillon, except to say St. Emery's has been on Kings Highway for 75 years and that many churches in Fairfield County have a carillon and no one complains.

 

Pintye added that people "from as far away as two miles" enjoyed St. Emery's carillon.

 

Caratone said the carillon apparently was silenced about two weeks ago, but Pintye wouldn't say why.

 

But Sunday, Caratone said the music returned. The volume "is a little lower than it was, but it's still obnoxious," he said Monday.

 

"I'm going to have to sell my house, because I can't take it anymore."

 

Theresa Conte, who has lived on nearby Halley Avenue for eight years, said she liked the church's bells and hymns, and missed the chimes when they had ceased. "It should bring peace to your mind, not anger," she said.

 

Carol Gladstone, who has lived on Halley Avenue for 50 years, said the music is "very peaceful and beautiful."

 

Caratone said St. Emery's turned down the volume on its carillon after his initial complaints, but a month or two later, the volume returned to its earlier level.

 

St. Emery's wasn't responsive to Cartone's complaints after a while, so he called police and American Civil Liberties Union because he believes the carillon disturbed his peace and the bells violated the separation of church and state.

 

"They're forcing everyone in the neighborhood to listen to religious hymns 365 days every year," Caratone said. "I think it's my right not to hear them."

 

The ACLU turned down his request to represent him in a lawsuit against St. Emery's, but Caratone, who said he is no longer a practicing Catholic, said he may sue the church anyway.

 

Police Capt. Gary MacNamara said the carillon music does not violate any laws, though an officer encouraged the church's pastor to lower the volume by a few decibels after Caratone complained.

 

His crusade against the carillon got no response from state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and state Sen. John McKinney, R-Fairfield, when he sent them letters asking for a law banning carillons.

 

Joseph McAleer, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, said it isn't unreasonable for a person who lives near a church to hear church music. He added that diocesan officials were unaware that a hubbub has erupted over St. Emery's carillon.

 

Caratone said many of his neighbors have not joined his cause because they leave for work before the music starts and don't return home until just before or after the last hymns play at 6 p.m.

 

Even Caratone's friends have reservations about his campaign.

 

They "joke when I say I'm doing this. They say, 'You're going to go to hell. You're doing something to a church,' " he said.

 

source

[AR Husker Fan]

And people wondered what caused the rash of church burnings in the US. This might be a reason...

[Drowning_in_the_Sea_of_Red]

Anybody else wanna go set up some speakers right outside his window and blast the hell outta him?

[huskernumerouno]

he could buy a really good sound system and set it up to play Ozzy right after theirs are done at the same volume and everyone can enjoy ozzy.