Fr Peter Smith of St Augustine’s Church in Balmain has a vision for the parish as a visible, and audible, praying community in the heart of Sydney’s inner west.
Despite some opposition, he says the reaction to a proposed expansion of the historic church’s bell tower has been mostly positive.
“I’ve had so many people knocking on my door, not Catholics, just residents saying they love the idea of the bells,” he told The Catholic Weekly.
“We’ve had more support than complaints.”
He said the bell chimes are a simple and beautiful way of reaching all, not only Christians, with a reminder there is “something other than ourselves.”
“They’re transcendent. For people who are not of any faith, it’s a lovely sound that reminds them they live in an area where people come together,” he said.
Fr Smith is seeking development application approval for the overhaul of the bell tower to increase the number of bells used by St Augustine’s from one to six.
Marking weddings, funerals, and the great feasts of Christmas and Easter, Fr Smith said the bells would also ring no longer than 15 minutes at once across the weekly Mass times.
Fr Smith was surprised when the bell tower plans recently made local and even one international news headline. He said the few objections came from residents who live close to the church, claiming Balmain is a quiet area and the sound of bells would be disruptive.
“Ours is a noisy, bustling, thriving area in the suburbs and I think that’s a great thing,” he said.
“Whether it’s noise from the local pubs and cafes or the church’s bells, all these places where people can gather and feel united are really important in our modern society.”
