1 min readBy Published On: January 26th, 2022Categories: News53 Comments on 311 Report of the Day: Those annoying church bells

Maybe this person was having a bad day? Things weren’t going quite right on Tuesday and the melodic sound of church bells drifting into his/her home pushed them over the edge and angrily open the 311 app and file a report.

See below:

First thing to note about this report, if you’re gonna rat on the local neighborhood church – maybe double check on the name.  It’s not Gates of Heaven. It’s Gate of Heaven.

The City of Boston “noted” the case.  Not sure if the sound police will be sent to Gate of Heaven to ask them to keep it down with their loud church bells.

The church bells at both Gate of Heaven and St. Brigid can be heard throughout the day – often they are played in memory of a loved one.  Are they loud? Not really – sometimes in the midst of your day, you notice them. Sometimes they go unnoticed. Are they annoying? We guess that’s subjective. But we can think of a lot more annoying sounds like kids playing and laughing outside. (JK )

Hopefully today will be a better day for this Southie resident.

53 Comments

  1. Jane Donovan January 26, 2022 at 12:16 pm - Reply

    Outrageous that people complained about the wonderful church bells which have been rung for a very long time . Sadly, there are people out there who have never been to church, and find the bells annoying instead of joyous. Why did they move near a church?
    Hope the church stays strong and keeps the bells. And hope the complainers take walks on Sundays or buy ear plugs.

    • Brian Flaherty January 28, 2022 at 12:48 pm - Reply

      Maybe this here should move to Gilligan’s Island nice and quiet there say hello to ginger you donkey

  2. Eddie January 26, 2022 at 12:46 pm - Reply

    I don’t hear the bells quite so often but when I do hear them they remind me of better days when Southie was filled with noise of kids playing in the streets surrounded by neiborhood Mothers keeping a watchful eye on all the action and ready to yell at any kid getting out of line. Oh happy days. When you didn’t whine about everybody’s point of view!

    • Father Brian Clary January 26, 2022 at 1:56 pm - Reply

      If the complaint was made Tuesday morning January 25th there was a funeral Mass being celebrated for Father Steve Boyle, from Southie, whose life ended suddenly last week. He was beloved wherever he served in the Archdiocese. Please keep his grieving family, friends, parishioners and brother priests in prayer during this difficult time. May he rest in peace.

    • Todd Kerkorian January 27, 2022 at 8:00 am - Reply

      What a loser

      • Todd Kerkorian January 27, 2022 at 8:01 am - Reply

        No

  3. Susan Gailunas January 26, 2022 at 1:01 pm - Reply

    I love hearing those bells. We were taught to stop and say a prayer when the church bells ring.

  4. Maureen Golden January 26, 2022 at 1:08 pm - Reply

    I live on E 6th between G and H streets. I hear the bells and love them. Why would someone complain they are joyous and not loud at all. Go to the suburbs and get out of the city and South Boston.

  5. Jennifer Jaye Statsky January 26, 2022 at 1:25 pm - Reply

    I think they should be ring every hour on the hour now

    • Cherylinn January 26, 2022 at 8:06 pm - Reply

      They ring every hour starting from 9 am. You can tell the time by counting the bells.

  6. Robin Anglin January 26, 2022 at 1:30 pm - Reply

    If you are annoyed by church bells from Gate of Heaven (which has been a parish since 1865) you need to reevaluate your life or better yet move out. Gatie pre dates all of us. The bells ring on the hour and when there is a funeral.

  7. Father Brian Clary January 26, 2022 at 2:00 pm - Reply

    If the complaint was made Tuesday morning January 25th there was a funeral Mass being celebrated for Father Steve Boyle, from Southie, whose life ended suddenly last week. He was beloved wherever he served in the Archdiocese. Please keep his grieving family, friends, parishioners and brother priests in prayer during this difficult time. May he rest in peace.

  8. Debbie Sheehan January 26, 2022 at 2:47 pm - Reply

    Of all things!! Geesh !! The person who complained about the “annoying church bells” would probably look at a rainbow and think it is ruining the sky.

  9. Susie Howard January 26, 2022 at 3:52 pm - Reply

    Our local churches, St Mary-St Catherine’s & St Francis DeSales in Charlestown also ring their bells at various times & we feel grateful to hear such heavenly music especially during these challenging days. ..keep ringing!

  10. Joan bromley Dixon January 26, 2022 at 4:48 pm - Reply

    I would give anything to hear them I miss them since I moved when I am in southie I love to hear them

    • Debra Keaney January 26, 2022 at 5:13 pm - Reply

      I love hearing the Gate of Heaven bells.

  11. Carolane Creighton January 26, 2022 at 7:27 pm - Reply

    I have those CHIMES rung for My Friends and Family every year.How Rude. Maybe you should move if this is annoying you. The CHIMES are Beautiful And I find this to be a Great Way to Honor Someone that has passed.

  12. Dave Connolly January 26, 2022 at 7:55 pm - Reply

    Move. We , who love living here, and time our lives by those bells, do not need your whining punk ass in our neighborhood.

  13. Christine Lynch January 26, 2022 at 9:08 pm - Reply

    My mother has lived on I street for almost 50 years. We are proud to be in the Gate of Heaven Parish. We love the church bells. We love to hear the bag pipes for weddings and funerals too. I hope the person complaining is able to respect the significance of our faith in the community.

  14. Margot January 26, 2022 at 10:25 pm - Reply

    I live right Cary the street. The bells are welcome and pretty. Friends and work colleagues find them lovely as well. Hey they even Legia know when we’re on time or need to wrap up a call!

  15. Yovino Paul January 27, 2022 at 5:36 am - Reply

    Bells ???
    An angel is getting its wings.😊🙏

  16. Robert Moran January 27, 2022 at 8:27 am - Reply

    If the person who made that complaint about the bells at Gate Of Heaven bothering them and being to loud its a good guess they are the same one who complained about the statues and asked for those to be taken down look I was baptized in that church along time a go and I live right up the street from there and I love hearing those bells it brings me back to a happier time in my life so grow up

  17. Marty January 27, 2022 at 10:21 am - Reply

    The bells aren’t even bells. It’s just some tinny audio playing from a speaker. Painful.

  18. Charlotte January 27, 2022 at 2:06 pm - Reply

    LOVE hearing the church bells!

  19. Mike Monahan January 27, 2022 at 2:12 pm - Reply

    The best moments of the day – we’re blessed to have them and others who don’t should be as lucky!

  20. Karen January 27, 2022 at 2:14 pm - Reply

    I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the bells. I love when they play “Let there be peace on Earth”. It brings back memories of year’s past. It’s old school and I hope they never stop.

  21. Frances January 27, 2022 at 2:16 pm - Reply

    Painful?? Oh dear you should move

  22. LetMeGetTheDoorForYa January 27, 2022 at 2:27 pm - Reply

    Reminds me of the blow-ins who moved into the Charlestown Navy Yard…and then proceeded to (try to) have the USS Constitution halt their two-a-day cannon salute over Boston Harbor, a well-over 200 year old tradition. This was in late 2009, early 2010 and it was immediately and rightfully dismissed . Times being what they are, would it surprise anyone for the current administration to actually lend credence to this abhorrent, obnoxious “concern”.? Wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Also wouldn’t surprise me if the puke who takes issue with our beautiful church bells was one of the misguided and delusional fools responsible for putting this tyrant in office.
    You know where I hear it’s nice and quiet? Try moving to Roslindale.
    (Well…”some” mornings are better than “others,”… but…)

  23. G ST Resident January 27, 2022 at 2:29 pm - Reply

    These bells suck. They aren’t real – they are a recording. Also, the actual bell time is off by about 45 seconds. If we had a REALL carillon (bet the old timers had to google what that is) it would be a cool feature of the community – I bet we could have youth and training programs on how to play it.

    Why do we have church bells on the hour? To remind people of the time. Can they perhaps just do it on Sundays?? We have personal phones and watches and clocks – great inventions that have occurred since the advent of this church. And for the love of god, change it up. Something beyond the SAME 12:10ish, 3:15ish, and 6:10ish every.single.day would be fantastic.

    • Frances January 27, 2022 at 3:43 pm - Reply

      Oh well you could move also.Bells will stay as always😛

      • Anne January 27, 2022 at 6:50 pm - Reply

        That’s right . move to another town . Because I love the Gate of Heaven Bells . I lived across from them a good part of my life . How lucky we are to still have church that does play them .
        It sounds like they’re from the country !

    • linda cochrane January 27, 2022 at 6:16 pm - Reply

      They should ring the BELLS twice as loud just to please your ears. I have had a revelation for you from the Bible,
      Move your arse outta here, we’ll even hold a parade for you and your ilk every March 17th.

  24. LetMeGetTheDoorForYa January 27, 2022 at 2:47 pm - Reply

    Hey…um…”G ST Resident”?

    Maybe you should “Google” how to spell the word “real”. Maybe you should start there. You obnoxious coward.

  25. Helen Lynch January 27, 2022 at 3:05 pm - Reply

    To the person who complained about the bells ringing at Gate of Heaven Church.
    Sorry you were having a bad day.
    Open your “HEART” and let the beautiful sound of the BELLS in.
    Hopefully then you will have better days. 🙏

  26. LetMeGetTheDoorForYa January 27, 2022 at 3:15 pm - Reply

    @G ST Resident:

    Re: your use of the term “old timers” , as well as your assertion that these “old timers”would have to “google” a certain word that, presumably, only “new timers” (?) like yourself (I…guess?) could comprehend . I have to ask: Do you have a problem with the elderly? Or is this disdain directed at ALL your neighbors?

  27. Burton malkofsky January 27, 2022 at 3:32 pm - Reply

    I love hearing the bells for about thirty five years Owening a business in south Boston my mother and father work Mickey variety store st bridges was the parish I live on east fourth st two blocks from gate haven I here the bells every day love them I am Jewish man

  28. Jacka January 27, 2022 at 3:59 pm - Reply

    Another example of a “Transplant” from somewhere else picking apart the longstanding traditions of the people from South Boston. Go back home.

  29. Patricia January 27, 2022 at 4:56 pm - Reply

    I love the bells 🔔

  30. Luke January 27, 2022 at 4:57 pm - Reply

    I live across the street from them and don’t mind them but I can see how someone can be annoyed by them. Lest we have forgotten, there was/is a huge issue with the Catholic Church – that whole molesting thing – and if someone was victim to that I could see that being an hourly reminder of what they went through. And like some have mentioned, the fact they aren’t real bells can be somewhat irritating as they can tend to ring hollow.

    • LetMeGetTheDoorForYa January 27, 2022 at 9:06 pm - Reply

      “…they tend to ring hollow,”

      You just described yours and G ST’s concerns about OUR CHURCH’S BEAUTIFUL BELLS ( whether or not you snowflakes consider them to be “real” or otherwise is inconsequential. You want change? Organize a March . Start a GoFundYaSelf or whatever the internet tells you pseudo-woke, virtue-signaling buffoons to be into this week. You’re more than welcome to go back to mommy and daddy (I’m sure paying your rent just to keep you out of their hair is starting to add up).So, again…LetMeGetTheDoorForYa

  31. Rev. Francis X McGerity (Southie Boy) January 27, 2022 at 5:51 pm - Reply

    In the Pre-Vatican Church there was a beautiful Custom of the Sisters of St. Joseph founded in (LePuy France) where every hour on the hour no matter where you were or what you were doing you would physically stop in your tracks and say this prayer: “Let us remember the Holy Presence of God. We adore His Divine Majesty. St Joseph pray for us.” I remember doing this when I attended St Agatha’s School in Milton in the early 1960’s.It was run by the Sisters of St Joseph. The Gate of Heaven Schools were also run by the Sisters of St. Joseph .The bells were rung on the hour either from the Church or with an assigned student in the classroom who monitored the clock on the wall. They would then ring a small bell. What a beautiful prayer and custom. In todays world we really need to be reminded that we continuously live ” in the Presence of God.” I fear to think where we would be if we did not. We are NOT alone! HOPE!

  32. DAN January 27, 2022 at 10:09 pm - Reply

    I AM IN FAVOR OF RINGING THE BELLS EVERYTIME A HOUSE IN SOUTHIE IS CONVERTED TO A CONDO. MORE UP TO DATE OF WHERE THE NEIGHBORHOOD STANDS NOWADAYS.

  33. Jerry Holly January 27, 2022 at 11:27 pm - Reply

    I’m sure the ACLU will be eager to represent this victim. It is unconscionable that the Catholic Church would, in the dead of night, erect this edifice suddenly and without public hearings. It is unlikely the church filed the necessary environmental impact studies before the stealth construction project. The “Bell-ringing Elimination and Liberation Lobby” (BELL) suffers emotionally from this oppression and is obviously an under-represented community. It is likely the U.S. Attorney’s office would pursue correcting these unjust conditions.

  34. Cay January 28, 2022 at 9:03 am - Reply

    Love the bells. Anyone remember when on New Years Eve all the churches in Southie rang the bells to welcome the New Year?

  35. Ania January 28, 2022 at 10:24 am - Reply

    The church bells are lovely. This person must be the Grinch of Southie

  36. Joe Cook January 28, 2022 at 10:41 am - Reply

    Get a grip ! This individual probably doesn’t like the sounds of birds chirping in the morning because they had one too many the night before . The Bells go off every hour and I think they should ring twice as loud to keep these selfish individuals in check . Have a peaceful day

  37. G ST Resident January 28, 2022 at 10:50 am - Reply

    Actually, dude, my husband and I paid full cash ourselves for our home. We’ve lived /voted/worked in Boston since 2003. And we pay taxes, just like you. I don’t like the bells. So what? I am sure there are some things you don’t like either.

    Sorry it took so long to respond. We actually have lives (and jobs!). We each worked two full time jobs during the pandemic. So don’t knock my work ethic, my beliefs, or think you “know” I’m a snowflake. I am Catholic – I just don’t like the the sound of bells.

    What I really don’t appreciate this “love it or leave it” attitude you have.. You all have a great weekend and stay safe in the snow.

  38. mike January 28, 2022 at 5:50 pm - Reply

    when my dog hears the bells he has this funny bark. It starts out as a normal bark but shifts into a howl. Owooowoo wooooo. He doesn’t do this for anything else. Not sure if he’s angry or trying to sing along so I can’t tell you which side of the argument he’s for. I don’t mind them and I think it’s a valuable part of our culture.

  39. LetMeGetTheDoorForYa January 28, 2022 at 6:39 pm - Reply

    You just can’t help yourself., can you? So you actually have jobs and lives. You mention this,…why, exactly. To imply that the rest of us mouth-breathers do not…correct? Were you doing (one of) your “job”(s) and living your “lives” when you initiated this conversation with your obnoxious, entitled opinion on something that is held near and dear to us, the neighbors that have been here for a couple hundred years and will still be hear after jerks like you realize you can’t “affect change” merely by overpaying for real estate in a place that you could literally not care less about?
    Save your “…have a great weekend…”, too. If you meant that even a little, you would’ve never even thought about posting something so arrogant. Okay….“Dude”?

  40. Jim P. January 29, 2022 at 8:01 am - Reply

    Who everyone complained about the church bells should move back to their subdivision where they came from.

  41. Jean Frost January 30, 2022 at 5:25 pm - Reply

    Just a slight correction- Gate of Heaven started in1862- it also has the oldest Saint Vincent de Paul society (1863) which has and still assists those in need through the generosity of the parishioners. Those bells play beautiful music and ring in memory of loved ones who have gone home to heaven. I loved the days when it was a neighborhood. If the beautiful sound annoys you try praying- will take your mind off the “noise”

  42. Annelise January 31, 2022 at 12:39 am - Reply

    The bells are lovely. I live literally across the street and they are not bothersome. You don’t even notice them most of the time, but when you do it is joyful and peaceful. 311 shouldn’t be used for complaints like this.

  43. Sunkist2 March 21, 2022 at 1:18 pm - Reply

    Same thing happened in the North End, Boston. The OLD North Church, yes, the one of by land, one, got harassed by someone nearby. The bell ringers dating back to the 1730s, ring for 20 minutes at noon on Sunday. Paul Revere was an original. Sad people out there, Yes?

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