Some see Bell Tower as testament to faith; others just consider it a nuisance
By Olga Mosiychuk
The Catholic tradition of ringing bells has its roots in monasteries, where bells were rung up to 12 times throughout the day and night to call monks to prayer.
When they heard these bells ringing, the faithful living in towns and cities near monasteries would stop what they were doing to join the prayer of the monks. In the Christian tradition, bells unify the community in prayer and sanctify the day with the awareness of God's presence.
The Campus Ministry Program Assistant, Theresa McCreary, grew up in such a community.
"The bells don't bother me because I grew up in a small Catholic town as a kid and when the bells rang we would completely stop what we were doing," she said. "Way back in the day, people would kneel down and pray, and we, as kids, would stop and pray."
When informed that many students and faculty were bothered by the frequent ringing, McCreary was surprised, stating that Campus Ministry had not received any official complaints about the bells.
According to the Campus Ministry, the bell tower rings on the quarter hour and the hour. The bells ring at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. The Bell Tower tolls the Angelus three times throughout the day and rings out the alma mater at 10 p.m. to signal the day's end.
Many students and professors have had to deal with the noise coming from the Bell Tower, and some have found it difficult to go about their day with the frequent ringing in the background.
Freshman Colin Feldtman is one such student. He finds it difficult to concentrate and even to sleep with the Bell Tower so near to all of the UP facilities he frequents.
"Those bells wake me up every morning," he said. "I can't sleep, I can't concentrate in class. They ring so much!"
Students have reported that professors have become fed up with the incessant ringing as well. Sophomore Priscilla Osredkar remembers one such professor last semester.
"Utlaut used to get very upset during class when the bells would go off, I guess they frustrated him and stood in the way of his lectures," she said.
Because there have been no formal complaints about this problem, Campus Ministry has not done anything about the frequency of the ringing.
The entire system is controlled by a computer, and the Ministry can change it at any time, McCreary said.
As Fr. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., noted at the dedication of the Bell Tower, "Soaring 100 feet above campus, holding the cross aloft as a beacon, calling out the hours with its heavenly chimes, this bell tower will feed our spirits, nourish our souls, draw our eyes and our hearts heavenward. The sound of those bells ringing will remind us daily, hourly of our religious and intellectual traditions and obligations."
Though religious and pertinent to the climate of UP, the bells ring much more than hourly, disrupting the daily schedules of such people as Feldtman. They have, however, been used for more apparent purposes; the most recent being the commemoration of the life of Molly Hightower who passed away in Haiti.
"On Friday, we were told to ring the bell 22 times for the age of Molly Hightower," McCreary said.
Students and faculty with grievances about the frequent ringing should report them to Campus Ministry.
