The Organ at Our Lady of Refuge Church was built in 1933 by George Kilgen & Son of St. Louis, Missouri, and was the firm's Op. 5163. The organ was delivered to the church early in 1934, and the work of installing, voicing and finishing was completed in time for the church's dedication in June. The Kilgen firm built a large number of high quality organs for the Diocese of Brooklyn, many of which ar
e still in use more than seventy years later. The parish's organ is located beneath the side tower of the church and speaks from two concrete chambers into the choir loft and then into the church. The pipes are totally hidden from sight. The organ console or keydesk can be seen in the organ loft on the left hand side of the nave. The organ has approximately 1,800 pipes ranging from 18 feet to half an inch in length, and made of both wood and metal. The organ is winded by a turbine situated in the basement of the church. In 2007, water leaking into the organ chambers as a result of the weakened exterior pointing of the brick church posed a serious threat to the pipe organ. Removal of the instrument and major renovation of the building forced the complete removal of the organ to allow the reconstruction of the church itself. The Organ Clearing House of Charlestown, Massachusetts, removed portions of the instrument to allow the chambers to be restored. The parish used the time during which the church building was being repaired to undertake the much-needed complete rebuilding of the Kilgen pipe organ. The organ supplier A.R. Schopp’s Sons of Alliance, Ohio, cleaned 50% of the organ pipes and rebuilt windchests that required restoration. This process included upgrading the windchests’ wiring to meet National Electric Code (NEC) compliance. Under the leadership of Rev. Michael Perry, the pastor, and Mr. Joseph Vitacco, volunteer coordinator of the project, the parish has worked to raise enough money to cover the costs of the restoration. Fund-raising efforts included the sale of a benefit organ music CD produced by Mr. Vitacco, a “Sponsor a Pipe” campaign on the parish webpage and YouTube videos that appealed directly to the public for support. Appeals were made by mail to other churches in Brooklyn and direct mail and email campaigns to 3,000 people around the world. The appeal was responded to by more than 600 different contributors from across the country and around the world. The majority of the respondents were members of the international organ community, who recognize the importance of people experiencing pipe organs and having access to them. A number of tasks are now required for the Kilgen Pipe Organ to once again play its historic role at Our Lady of Refuge parish and to contribute to the cultural life of Brooklyn residents of all backgrounds. These include:
• Reassembly of the instrument by Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc., Warrensburg, Missouri.
• Complete tuning, including required tonal refinishing. The organ is schedule to be completed and playing by September 2013 and will be dedicated on October 18, 2013 by Olivier Latry A Organist at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris. http://www.olrbrooklyn.org/organ-recitals-in-new-york-city/
