Man Says Ringing Church Bells Led to His Divorce

  • 11 years ago
One man in Narragansett, Rhode Island believes that a church bell is the cause of his divorce.

While the sounds of church bells are soothing to many, one Rhode Island man believes their ringing was the cause of his divorce. He even went to federal court to legally silence the bells.

John Devaney alleged that the bells of a neighboring Catholic church “clapped” and “gonged” too many times throughout each and every day. They began disrupting his life, causing him and his then wife to constantly argue. Husband and wife weren’t always in the best of moods due to the sounds.

Eventually the couple parted ways, but 64-year-old Mr. Devaney is livid and wants the gongs to stop so he can joy his life and property. Devaney along with his former wife purchased the home about 18 years ago.

Back then, the bell did not work, however approximately 6 years ago the ringing contraption was upgraded to operate electronically. Devaney has gotten to the point where he counts how many gongs he hears on a daily basis.

Each week, he hears about 700 in total. That’s about 36,000 gongs a year. The homeowner hopes the court decision will force the church to drastically reduce the number of bell sounds.