Residents in Philadelphia's Fishtown section have mixed feelings about bells ringing at Holy Name of Jesus Church
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The church bells are the talk of the town in Philadelphia's Fishtown section. Some people who live in the area are happy they are up and ringing, but others aren't fans of the bells.
The bells sit on top of the Holy Name of Jesus Church along Gaul Street in Fishtown. On Tuesday night, they were frozen and didn't ring, but they normally go off every hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
"The cumulative amount of times the bells ring are five minutes," Father Aldred Bradley said.
Father Bradley says the caroling system was started up by two parishioners around Christmas time and was funded by donations.
"I thought it was a nice way to bring the community together. The old Fishtowners and the new Fishtowners," Father Bradley said.
Father Bradley says the complaints have been few and far between, and mostly on social media.
The majority of people CBS Philadelphia spoke with around the church love them and are embracing it.
"They kinda started out of nowhere. It was a nice surprise. We weren't expecting it, but we lived here since May and from what we understand, they haven't been going for years and they came back one day, and we like them," a man said.
Shanda Sibley says she lives in a house right across the street from the church.
"They are charming, but they were a little loud, so I had a conversation with the priest at the church about some changes that could be made to the bells, which they did. They moved them higher up and pointed them in a general skyward direction and now it's much better," Sibley said.
Sibley says the church made a small adjustment so she and her neighbors can continue to enjoy the charm of the chimes.
"There are speakers, the bells are amplified and I guess initially the bells were pointed generally outward and the church changed them to point upward, so the sound isn't as directed towards the houses," Sibley said.
