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Church bells to toll in Carol Stream?

The sound of church bells on Sunday morning could soon be coming to a Carol Stream neighborhood.

Village officials say there currently aren’t any religious institutions in town that ring bells, but Corpus Christi Catholic Church at 1415 Lies Road is seeking to do just that. First, though, the church needs the village board’s approval.

As part of a major remodeling effort, the church is planning to install bells on the exterior of church that would be amplified through an electronic system with speakers and volume control.

The church is seeking to ring the bells five minutes before Masses at 5 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Sundays. The bells would also ring daily at noon and 6 p.m., and at the end of weddings and beginning of funerals.

They would toll for about one minute.

Village codes currently prohibit sound amplification without a permit, though permits have never been issued for anything that is ongoing. A proposed village ordinance would exempt the church from having to get such a permit, according to Village Manager Joe Breinig.

Current regulations also prohibit the operation of noisemaking devices from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. daily, but Breinig said the board could consider changing the end time to 8:45 a.m. — just before Corpus Christi’s 9 a.m. Mass.

The church isn’t planning to ring bells for its 7 a.m. Sunday Mass, he said.

Residential neighborhoods are on the north, east and south sides of the church.

“The church is a part of the community and the residents are a part of the community,” Trustee Anthony Manzzullo said at a board meeting this week. “You’re not gonna make everyone happy, but you can do your best to make it accommodating and reasonable.”

A formal village ordinance could be considered by the board as soon as May 6.

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