‘Such a beautiful Old World sound here in Lake Worth Beach’
The church bells at Sacred Heart Catholic started ringing again in January after an absence of more than five years.
FOR A LONG time, the only daily outdoor music in Lake Worth Beach’s Parrot Cove and Mango Groves neighborhoods came from songbirds and actual wild parrots.
But this year, a peculiar brand of heavy metal is making a comeback — the church bells at Sacred Heart.
After a five-year intermission, the bells are chiming again at Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 401 N. M St., bringing rhythm and melody back to the neighborhood soundscape.
The bells toll every day on the hour from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with longer angelus peals at noon and 6 p.m., before and after mass, and at special occasions such as weddings and funerals.
“I just love the bells, such a beautiful Old World sound here in Lake Worth Beach,’’ said Giovanna Dominguez Timor, who hears them from her home a half-mile northeast of Sacred Heart.
Click this video to hear what the bells sound like in the church’s courtyard:
The bells returned in January after the church raised nearly $20,000 to replace a broken system that had been out of commission for at least five years.
At first, some residents were startled by the unexpected loud peals echoing across the streets for the first time in years. But over the ensuing weeks, as the new bells worked out their kinks and got into a daily rhythm with the neighborhood, many residents have come to rely on the tolls and chimes to stay on schedule — whether an 8 a.m. wakeup call or 6 p.m. dinner bell.
For others, it’s a welcome surprise.
“It’s almost like a flash bomb of bells when it happens, this spontaneous music making,’’ said Kathleen Naiditch, who lives three blocks from the church.
One happy resident, so thrilled by the return of the soothing outdoor sounds, offered in a Facebook post: “If you need a volunteer to ring it, I will,’’ Michelle Smith wrote. “Anything for our beautiful town!’’
No help is needed. That’s because there is no bell tower and no actual bell to ring. There’s just an electronic box the size of a DVD player on a shelf in the sacristy.
Made by Verdin, a six-generation company that cast its first bronze bells in 1842, the electronic carillion emulates the sound of traditional bells, using digital recordings or synthesized tones played through amplifiers or loudspeakers.
These cost-effective modern systems are the norm at many churches, including Sacred Heart, where a cluster of four speakers, one pointed in each direction, is mounted on the roof between the church sanctuary and the school.
With the press of a few buttons, the system can be programmed to chime on a schedule. The tolls and peals heard around Parrot Cove and Mango Groves are chosen from among thousands of options in the Verdin catalog, including the distinct sounds of swinging bells and tolling bells.
“I grew up with bells, actual ones you have to pull,’’ said Father Jean Boulin, a native of Haiti, who was assigned to Sacred Heart in 2023.
He noted that bells have been an integral part of churches since the fifth century, introduced around 400 AD by Paulinus of Nola and formalized by Pope Sabinian in 604 AD to summon the faithful and mark daily prayers.
“I do not know how long bells have been part of Sacred Heart,’’ Father Jean said. “I would bet that since the beginning they had a bell.’’
Not long after he arrived at Sacred Heart, Father Jean set his passions on replacing the church’s broken electronic bells, a system disconnected years earlier “because it would go off by itself,’’ even at night, he said.
Parishioners were happy to offer donations for the new system, he said.
“This new version sounds better,’’ he said. “We get more choices, and it changes itself.’’
There were a few complaints around the neighborhood that first week the bells started ringing again, mainly about unexpected noise so early in the morning.
Click this video to hear what the bells sound like across North M Street from the church:
But the melodic chimes were quickly embraced by others as a positive alternative to the daily noises of garbage trucks, lawn equipment and motorcycles.
“We’re worried about a bell that makes us feel like we’re in a beautiful European village?’’ Dominguez Timor said, dismissing the early critics.
“I love our bells,’’ she said. “It’s like listening to birdsong in the morning. I wish we had more.’’
One happy listener has reported hearing them from The Carslyle, a condominium on Palm Beach island across the Lake Worth Lagoon a mile east of Sacred Heart.
“In the morning I look forward to hearing the bells,’’ Father Jean said.
“If my TV is on, I put it on mute and just listen to the bells. It’s very pleasing.’’
Naiditch lives in a house with hurricane-impact windows, but she devised a way to enjoy the bells.
“I don’t hear the bells or even my wind chimes,’’ she said. “So, a friend of mine will call me, ‘They’re ringing now!’ And I’ll run outside and listen.’’
With the bells of Sacred Heart back in rotation, many people feel as if a part of Lake Worth Beach has recovered its heart beat.
“In this day and age and what’s going on right now,’’ Naiditch said, “I think some bells pealing is really soothing.’’