Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Digital ding-dong! Greenpoint, Brooklyn church will replace bells with recording

This is nothing new. We had those electronic chimes at St. Stan's parish in Maspeth, Queens back in the early 90's. What's new is that these will be digital whereas the one we had used recorded tapes, like the old 8-track cassettes. I love memories and this story brings back many! Dcn John

The Brooklyn Paper

A Greenpoint church’s century-old bells might be going digital.

Father Robert Czok, pastor of St. Anthony’s Church on Manhattan Avenue, said that the parish would have to raise more than $20,000 to fix the original system, but only half that amount to replace the sonorous clanging of actual bells with a recording.

The digital ding-dong is emerging as the most likely scenario because the Diocese of Brooklyn has said it is unable to lend any money for the repair.

“The Diocese won’t pay for them,” said Czok. “It’s not considered an emergency, and even in an emergency situation. we’d have to raise our own funds.”

The three Westminster bells at St. Anthony’s, which were installed in 1895, weigh 8,000 pounds total. The church doesn’t employ an on-duty chimesmaster anymore, instead relying on an automatic striking system. But that system was shut down last month after Czok noticed that the striker had deteriorated.

 

Read more here:  http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/34/17/wb_churchbells_2011_4_29_bk.html

Posted via email from deaconjohn's posterous

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