Worshippers and visitors at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond, will be hearing new sounds this spring as installation of a continuo organ and choir organ, which began Feb. 21, continues throughout the next several weeks.
The continuo organ can be used in the sanctuary as well as transported to other locations for community events. The choir organ will be permanently placed in the sanctuary and used for smaller liturgies or choral presentations. As part of the installation, the organs, built by Juget-Sinclair Organ builders in Montreal, will be “voiced” for the cathedral’s acoustics.
A gallery pipe organ, which will replace the irreparable one in the balcony, is also part of the $3.2 million project undertaken by the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Foundation. As of Jan. 31, 2022, the foundation reports it has raised and secured more than 90% of the funding for the project through a bequest made a by a deceased parishioner, major gifts from cathedral and Richmond Diocese members, area foundations and other community support.
Plans call for the gallery pipe organ, which resides above the main entrance to the cathedral, to be installed in 2024. The orginal gallery pipe organ was fitted when the cathedral was dedicated in 1906.
According to Father Anthony Marques, rector of the cathedral since 2019, the organs are integral to Catholic liturgies.
“The Church recognizes that the pipe organ is the only acoustical instrument that can sustain the singing of hundreds of people within a sacred space. For centuries, the sacred texts of liturgies were always sung,” he said. “The pairing of sacred text with sacred music has always enhanced and colored the syllables of words to engage the understanding of listeners.”
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Foundation purchased the choir organ in 2018. It will take three to four weeks to “voice” the organ before it can be used for liturgies.
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Foundation is a 501(c)(3) established in 2013 to preserve and care for the cathedral’s building and associated structures. It also supports the work of educating the public about the benefits of historic preservation as the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.