Chimes Stop at Manhattan Church, but Neighbors Are Wary
By COREY KILGANNON
Published: December 24, 2013
A Manhattan Roman Catholic church whose bells have riled its neighbors
this holiday season now seems to be ringing in Christmas with silence.
Michael Kirby Smith for The New York Times
The bells at the Church of Our Saviour were silent Tuesday.
Related
-
After Protests Over All-Day Ringing, Manhattan Church’s Bells Chime All Night (December 24, 2013)
-
Murray Hill Church’s Neighbors Would Prefer to Look at the Clock (December 21, 2013)
The bells have stopped chiming at the Church of Our Saviour, in Murray Hill, and neighbors are happy, but wary.
In September, the church increased its bells from twice a day to 13
times a day, on the instruction of its new pastor, the Rev. Robert J.
Robbins, who ignored pleas and complaints from numerous neighbors who
winced at the frequency of the bells. In a church newsletter, he called
the complaints “anti-Christian.”
At midnight on Sunday, a day after an article appeared in The New York Times about the issue, the church bells began ringing all through the night,
bringing a new round of complaints from neighbors that the pastor was
retaliating against them and their pleas to stop the bells.
On Monday, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York said Father
Robbins had called the nighttime bells a regrettable mechanical error
and had arranged for repairs of the chimes, which are electronic, not
real bells. He did not indicate, however, that there would be any change
to the daytime regimen of chimes, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the spokesman
said.
Neighbors were skeptical about the timing of the glitch and on Tuesday
said they could only assume that the repairs were the reason that the
silence, which began on Monday afternoon, had continued through Tuesday.
The archdiocese spokesman did not immediately return a request for
comment on Tuesday. Archdiocesan officials have previously said that
they were hopeful the church and neighbors could coexist in harmony, but
that they could not necessarily dictate that Father Robbins cease or
reduce the chimes.
Contact Us
The Church of Our Saviour
59 Park Avenue at 38th StreetNew York, N.Y. 10016
Map
| Phone: | (212) 679-8166 |
| Fax: | (212) 213-0352 |
| Email: | info@oursaviournyc.org |
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Confidential
> Stop scratching on holidays
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
Sports
OPEN ON 1ST PALM SUNDAY, OTB RAKES IN $2M
By Jerry Bossert / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, April 14, 2003, 12:00 AM
New York City Off-Track Betting made history yesterday, taking bets on Palm Sunday. Since 1973, when Sunday racing was made legal in New York State, race tracks have been allowed to operate every Sunday except for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. While Aqueduct kept its doors shut, NYCOTB had its betting parlors open despite a letter from the New York State Racing and Wagering Board stating that it couldn't do so. "We're not a race track," NYCOTB president Ray Casey said. "OTB's business is a simulcasting business.
" Bettors responded by wagering an estimated $2 million yesterday on tracks from around the country, including Keeneland in Kentucky and Gulfstream Park in Florida. While in the past NYCOTB has respected the law and shut down on Palm Sunday, it took a chance this time because its business is down. "With the weather being the way it's been our handle has been off significantly," Casey said. "Our lawyers felt from their point of view that we could open (yesterday).
" The law says race tracks can't open. It doesn't mention OTBs. "I respect the Racing and Wagering Board and I have the utmost respect for chairman Michael Hoblock but I felt we're right on this one," Casey said. The NYSRWB didn't return phone calls yesterday but said on Saturday it would meet this week to discuss fines and penalties it can impose on NYCOTB. "This isn't personal," Casey said. "I just didn't agree with the board's interpretation.
" Casey also said NYCOTB may open on Easter Sunday.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/open-1st-palm-sunday-otb-rakes-2m-article-1.659016#ixzz2oXj3cBuY
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