We Give Catholic 2023

Welcome to our We Give Catholic fundraiser for 2023.

This year, we are raising funds to help support the maintenance and care of one of the "crown jewels" of St. Ignatius of Antioch - the church organ.

Parts of the current organ at St. Ignatius of Antioch go back to the founding of the parish.  In 1927, St. Ignatius of Antioch contracted with A. James Aebel & Sons Organ Company of Detroit, Michigan for the installation of the first organ of the parish.  Shortly before World War II, the organ went through a slight renovation between 1940-1941 and was added on to by the Midmer-Losh Organ Company in Merrick, NY.  Through the growth of the parish through the late 40's, 50's and early 60's along with many of the liturgical and musical changes anticipated during the Second Vatican Council, Msgr. Albert J. Murphy signed a contract with Schantz Organ Company in Orrville, Ohio for a complete overhaul at the cost of $38,000 (today's market value of the same organ would cost almost $400,000).  The new organ was completed and installed by late November of 1965 just in time for Advent and Christmas.  

Since 1965, the current organ has been through general maintenance, a re-leathering of both the Swell and Choir divisions of the organ, and a complete set of chimes added into the Swell chamber (which still work to this day!)  The music directors and pastors that have served at St. Ignatius of Antioch since the mid-1960s have taken excellent care of the instrument, but we are now in a place where the organ costs us several thousands of dollars each year to maintain, including the tuning procedures that it goes through three times a year (once in the autumn before Christmas, once in the late winter/early spring before Holy Week, and again in the summer once the heat/boiler in the church is turned off for the cold weather months).  While the organ is ready for its fourth renovation since its original installation in the late 1920s, there is an immediate need to fix and rectify some things with the instrument.  Several ranks of dead notes/pipes are present in the Great divisions of the organ, the pedal board needs replacing, the wood of the organ console needs to be completely stripped and re-varnished and the air-wind blower in the basement of St. Ignatius (the mechanism that pushes forced air into the gallery when the organ is turned on) needs serious work.  

Our Music Director, Mr. Jason Lewis, has been overseeing the care and maintenance of the instrument since he began his tenure at St. Ignatius of Antioch in 2014 and has been "sounding the alarm" that several of these maintenance items need to be taken care of sooner rather than later.  The more time that passes when an instrument like ours needs maintenance and work - the higher the cost.

There is no amount too small when it comes to donating - and we are thankful for any amount that you can give to our We Give Catholic project this year!  Thank you in advance for your generosity.