Neighbors Clash with Congregation Over Ringing of Church Bells

January 31, 2001

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On January 31, 2001, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Ruth Cook of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, and some of her neighbors "are fighting to muffle the sound of [church] bells that they say rattles crockery, shakes walls and makes outdoor conversation impossible. She has taken her fight to the Common Council. Cook is leading a lonely fight" in this church-friendly town. Father Bill Olnhausen of St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church and his congregation "have shortened the ringing time and have tried to muffle the sound. That's as far as the congregation is willing to go because ringing of bells is an integral part of Orthodox Christianity, Olnhausen said...The bells are rung on the hour and half hour between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., Olnhausen said. They also ring on Sundays and for monthly religious holidays, he said. Cook argues there seems to be no schedule -- the bells ring at odd times and for different periods." Ringing the bells has special significance because in Syria, where the Antiochian Orthodox Church began, "Christians were forbidden to ring church bells as a way of being reminded they were subservient to Muslims." When Cook complained to the mayor, he responded that no ordinances existed to regulate church bells. Ald. Sally Mills points out that what sounds beautiful in some places sounds obnoxious from Cook's house. "Our rights extend to the point to which you are infringing on some else's rights," she said. "Nobody wants to tell them they cannot ring their bells. But there has to be some compromise."