Reverend Roy Roberts, the church's pastor, said the matter is "certainly unfortunate.

"It probably didn't have to get to this point," he said. "A more pressing issue is how to get out of this so everyone is happy. Hopefully, we can come to some kind of resolution."

Ajax Mayor Steve Parish concurs that the situation is "extremely unfortunate," adding, "This is something the Town doesn't want to get involved with in any way."

The dispute started over stained glass windows at the former St. Francis building and has since progressed to complaints over the ringing of church bells. The bell-ringing upset neighbours of the new church building on Ravenscroft Road and led to the laying of a noise complaint by the Town. The complaint heads to court sometime later this spring.

Rev. Roberts said any negotiations with the Town over the windows is being handled by the Archdiocese of Toronto. But, negotiations have been put on hold until the bell-ringing issue has been resolved, he added.

The church congregation wants the 20 stained glass windows at the former St. Francis, on Church Street South, moved to the new site. However, the Town bought the building for $50,000 from the archdiocese and the sale included the windows.

During the council meeting on Monday, Mayor Parish stated the old church building was given a heritage designation in 1999 and "one of six reasons for the heritage designation were the windows."

The windows were paid for by families who helped build the original building in the 1870s.

Mayor Parish said he made a bona fide offer to the church for some of the windows, but Rev. Roberts "unequivocally rejected that offer.

"The Town has been put in the middle of this," Mayor Parish said, calling the matter a "dispute between the parishioners and the archdiocese. We're innocent in this."

"We had always intended to bring them with us," Rev. Roberts said of the windows. "We left a place for them, not as structural glass, but as art panels.

"There's a sequence of stories in eight of the panels," he added. "The panel of St. Francis, we have a prominent place at the entrance way."

Church parishioner Judy Marshall said at the council meeting that the bells at the new church are rung at "the same pattern and frequency" going back to 1960.

Mayor Parish said last year the Town started receiving noise complaints from neighbours of the church.

"The ringing was at very unusual times and at a very unusual frequency," he said.

The bell ringing began after the window dispute flared up, he stated.

Rev. Roberts said he's been speaking with "technical wizards" in the congregation about moving the speakers in the bell tower.