Three parishes (and their organs) united...

[KB7DQH]

http://www.faribault.com/content/installation-ongoing-25-foot-pipe-organ

Installation ongoing for 25-foot pipe organ
Submitted by Samantha Bushey on Thu, 12/29/2011 - 15:51

Before construction of Divine Mercy Catholic Church was complete, a team from Rutz Incorporated began plans for its nearly 25-foot tall pipe organ.

Roland Rutz, owner of the Morristown business, said he signed a contract about two years ago committing to the project. Now, the finished pieces will gradually be brought in and installed.

"The original planning had the organ three feet further toward the front [of the church] but we had to redesign. Everything was designed and calculated to fit an unusual space. This is the moment of truth," Rutz said as his team worked on Thursday to install the superstructure that will hold everything. "A new instrument this size, with everything brand new, would easily cost $1 million."

Using recycled pews from St. Lawrence, the best parts of instruments from the three parishes that united under Divine Mercy Catholic Church, and help from the congregation, Rutz said the "green instrument" will cost $250,000 to construct.

Once the organ is fully assembled, Rutz said congregation members won't be able to tell by just looking that the instrument contains more than 3,000 pipes.

Deb Morgan, a congregation member, is excited to see the completed "state of the art" organ, and thinks it's wonderful that Rutz has put in work and effort to combine pieces of the three former parishes.

"This is an opportunity for all the three former parishes to truly come together in harmony," Morgan said. "The master builder, Roland, literally lives in our own backyard and is a world-renowned organ builder and repairer. He travels the world over to use his expertise and we are extremely fortunate to have him building our organ."

Rutz made it clear that there's no way he would have been able to design and construct the organ on his own. It took the hard work and collaboration of his hands-on team of five.

He said various employees have attributes that work best for certain aspects of the project. One person did all the finishing and staining of the wood, two did most of the woodwork and Rutz focused on the pipes and making the organ work.

Over the course of 35 years, Rutz said his company has built, rebuilt and done major work on about 100 organs throughout Minnesota, the United States and overseas.

"We're one of those businesses no one knows about but that's okay," Rutz said. "If you're looking, you can find us."

Rutz said they've built bigger and smaller instruments than the one being built for Divine Mercy, but no matter the size, it's a fun project. He said installing this organ is a great and exciting time for everyone because of the tremendous support his team is getting from the parish.

With the exception of pipe organs at St. Olaf College and Carleton College, Rutz said the organ at Divine Mercy Catholic Church will be the biggest in southern Minnesota.

"We do believe that an instrument of this size and craftsmanship will contribute to the artistic and cultural heritage of our community and will draw musicians from all over to perform on this unique pipe organ," Morgan said. "We also believe this organ will attract talent and leadership to our church. The prominence and priority of the organ is one of the deciding factors in a musician's decision to serve a faith community."

— Samantha Bushey can be reached at 333-3128.

And... The submitted comments...

I am not a fan of churches
Submitted by secretsquirrel on Sat, 12/31/2011 - 12:48.

I am not a fan of churches being tax free but I don't lose any sleep over it. Part of the reason is due to the tremendous amount of charitable work Catholic Charities does in the communities they serve. I don't care what they believe, how they believe, what they worship or how they choose to do so. There is a return on their presence in this community and if they want to invest in an organ comprised of parts from all of the now defunct parishes to symbolize the union of these parishes, what possible difference could it make to the average Joe?
In the end, there will be beautiful music coming from a group of people who cherish something special, share in their faith and experience a fellowship more beneficial than that of the holy taxpayer.
Congratulations to Divine Mercy and their congregation.

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What could have been done?
Submitted by quizkid on Sat, 12/31/2011 - 11:57.

What could a quarter of a million $ do in a community ?

Definition of OSTENTATIOUS:
marked by or fond of conspicuous or vainglorious and sometimes pretentious display

Seven Deadly Sins:
Lust
Gluttony
Greed
Sloth
Acedia
Wrath
Envy
Pride
VAINGLORY

".....The prominence and priority of the organ is one of the deciding factors in a musician's decision to serve a faith community."

What happened to faith and serving your god ?

"We also believe this organ will attract talent and leadership to our church...."

So you have no talent and leadership now ? Or the fact that you can spend $250,000 on just an an organ will bring talent and leadership with $ signs in their eyes ?

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PNYBT: Not quite sure about your blog (??)
Submitted by ConcernedFbltCitizen on Sat, 12/31/2011 - 00:59.

Attn: "pnybt" ---Your comment in your blog is confusing. You stated: "$250,000.000 for a pipe organ using parts from the other churches?. Dig deeper Faribault citizens. The church will be asking for more money for "God" -----The cost of the organ has nothing to do with "Fblt citizens" digging deeper as you suggested. The cost of the organ is being paid for and handled by "parish members" and Divine Mercy Church funding, not by the " Fblt community" as a whole. And....the church supports and helps out many members of the community, which is just the opposite of what you suggest.

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new organ =more money
Submitted by pnybt on Fri, 12/30/2011 - 09:57.

$250,000.000 for a pipe organ using parts from the other churches?. Dig deeper Faribault citizens. The church will be asking for more money for "God"

Eric
KB7DQH