In 2006, an effort was made to revive the historic pipe organ at Our Lady of Refuge Church in Brooklyn, New York, after nearly a decade of silence. Inspection of the organ revealed that the first priority was to rebuild the bellows, and by January 2007, the organ was playing again for the first time in ten years. After six years of fundraising, the pipe organ arrived back at the church on June 17, 2013. The reinstallation is scheduled to be completed by mid-September, and Olivier Latry will dedicate the organ on October 18.
While the initial repairs were being carried out in 2007, a more serious problem came to light. The exterior tuckpointing of the church was leaking, allowing water to seep into the organ chamber, threatening both the instrument and the structure of the church. Father Michael Perry and Joe Vitacco had the pipe organ professionally removed from the church for safekeeping before the repairs to the interior and exterior walls were carried out.
The parish has raised almost all of the funds to reinstall its Kilgen pipe organ. It has been restored by A. R. Schopp’s Sons and Quimby Pipe Organs. Joe Vitacco, chairman of the organ committee, and Father Michael Perry, pastor of the parish, have used the Internet and various social media to raise the majority of the funds from well over 1,000 pipe organ enthusiasts from around the globe. The members of the parish have held soup dinners, concerts, and even a pig roast, as well as a “sponsor an organ pipe” campaign, to raise money for the pipe organ.
When the pipe organ is returned to service, the parish’s main goal will be to share this historic instrument with the Brooklyn community. Additionally, the organ will be used at parish Masses and shared with the organ community as a practice and teaching instrument.
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