Lately, I’ve heard a couple of interrelated questions: When will we begin work on the new organ? Is that (the keyboard you hear at 4 pm Mass) the new organ? And if that’s not the new organ, why not just keep playing that? Doesn’t it sound just fine as it is?

Let’s start with the work question. Actually, work has begun on the “new” organ. I’d prefer we talk about restoring or rebuilding the instrument. The pipes—the most important part of the organ—were not damaged last year. They need some 50-year maintenance, but they are workable parts. Sometime this month, we expect to see them removed and taken to the shop for their restoration. Meanwhile, electronic components can be prepared. The actual console—the piece of furniture that contains the electronic part and controls the pipes—will be built in the new year. Remember, organ work is a highly specialized craft—not many people are able to do it.

The small keyboard was never meant to be a permanent solution. It’s not a performance instrument. We only get a bold sound from it by connecting it to the sound system. What you hear isn’t a great organ, it’s a small organ (more properly speaking, a synthesizer—and remember, that word comes from the word “synthetic”) artificially magnified. These keyboards have a small lifespan—about 10 years. Keep in mind that the organs that Bach played are still in use today! And, talk to any of our organists: it’s a challenging thing to play! Watch the keyboard players looking at a music stand off to the side. That’s not a normal way to set things up. So, let’s think about the project as a whole.

50 years ago, we opted for a magnificent instrument, something we could not afford to replace today. (I have friends installing similar-sized pieces in churches—with price tags approaching 2 million!) It’s a beautiful instrument and a part of the parish’s heritage. I’d hate to see the vision and sacrifices of our recent mothers and fathers simply go to waste. It’s a long project. We made our way through insurance negotiations. We received, at the request of the Parish Finance Council, the Bishop’s permission to move forward. We’ve contracted with a builder for the restoration. And we managed to do this before annual price increases set in. (And tariffs can impact what building anything at all might cost! We were fortunate in our timing.)

It’s an expensive project. Insurance covers about $250,000. That leaves the parish with a little more than $400,00 more to pay for it all. While we’re not a fabulously rich parish, we have savings that are meant for this sort of emergency. But, long before the water damage, we were talking (that’s me, the Parish Pastoral Council, and the Finance Council) about doing a capital campaign in line with the 50th anniversary. It gives us the chance that the 1975 crowd had—to build something beautiful for God. In part, it’s the organ. In part, it’s refreshing both of our worship spaces. In part, it’s creating opportunities for our parish cemetery. Whether it’s fire or water, the wear and tear on a building, or even changing cultural approaches to death, let’s rise to the challenge. Let’s build something beautiful for God.