Make a donation to repair the organ at Our Lady of Refuge!
Donate $50 or more, and receive a CD of the new pipe organ in Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
Click here for more information on OLR's Organ Repair Project.


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The organ at Our Lady of Refuge was built in 1933 by the Kilgen Organ Company of St. Louis, Missouri to a design by Charles Courboin, then organist of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. It was installed shortly before the church was dedicated on June 16, 1934, with more than 1800 wind-blown pipes, ranging in size from 1/2 inch long and as thick as a pencil to 18 feet and as wide as a tree trunk, and provided beautiful and uplifting music for the parish for decades, but fell mute several years ago.

In January of 2006, I volunteered to tackle the problem of bringing it back to life, working with James Konzelman (organbuilder of excellent reputation and over 20 years of experience), the Organ Clearing House (nationally respected company with expertise in moving pipe organs) and A.R. Schopp’s Sons, Inc (the largest manufacturer of organ pipes in the U.S.A since 1898).

Jim Konzelman and I started making temporary repairs about a year ago, patching the organ together well enough for it to accompany the University of Notre Dame Women’s Liturgical Choir, who volunteered to sing at the 5 p.m. Mass on Feb. 3, 2007 in the jam-packed church, and for the concert organist Stephen Tharp to make a recording. The organ was then removed from its chambers in the church tower in March, 2007 by the Organ Clearing House so that major structural work could begin on the tower.

The organ is now in storage while funds are raised. As money is donated, restoration work on the pipes is being carried out by A. R Schopp’s Sons. When we have raised enough money to have them replace leather parts in the organ and clean all of the pipes, the Organ Clearing House will reinstall it and James Konzelman and I will then bring it back into working order to serve the parish once more.

How many things do people have in their lives that work for almost a lifetime and can then be restored to last for another lifetime? This fine Kilgen organ is one of those things. Would you please make a donation to help this parish of working people of modest means get their pipe organ back? We need $200,000 to do that. Please help make a difference.

Thank you,

Joseph Vitacco
Notre Dame Class of 1990
Parishioner at Our Lady of Refuge


Our Lady Of Refuge Church
Brooklyn, New York
Father Michael Perry, Pastor
(718) 434-2090
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