An Update on the Installation
Tuesday morning, June 6, 2023, was a particularly joyful morning in the life of St. Alfred’s parish. A group of 30-40 of our church family and friends gathered at 8 a.m. to greet the arrival of our new Casavant pipe organ.
The truck got delayed in traffic on US 19 and arrived almost a half-hour late, but when it pulled into the driveway there was applause accompanied by cheers of joy.
A short service of praise and thanksgiving to mark the occasion began outdoors in the courtyard with Fr. Peter as officiant, Joanne Kerr as crucifer, Laurel Bennett as reader, and Kevin Johnson as musician. After a brief reading from Colossians and prayers, all gathered, including the installation team and assisting workers, went in procession into the church singing the hymn, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation.”
The installation team and assistants carried in the parts of the organ. It was very moving!
Reporters from WTVT, Channel 13 and Bay News 9 were on hand to cover the event. Following the service, a lovely reception with coffee, doughnuts, and croissants was held in Reister Hall. Many of us brought our coffee into the courtyard where we could watch the truck being unloaded.
The truck was completely unloaded by about 1 p.m. The church and the Music/Art room in Reister Hall are now filled with the pipes, console, and various components of the new organ.
For the above reasons, over the next three weeks the 5 p.m., Saturday Eucharist will be held in the choir room, and the 10a.m. Sunday Eucharist will be held at Temple Ahavat Shalom. We are very grateful to Rabbi Berger and the congregation for their generous hospitality.
The installation process will take 4 weeks which will be followed by a 2-week period for tuning and voicing. A weekly update with photos and videos on the progress of the installation of the organ will be published in The Banner, on the church website and on our Facebook page. A camera has been purchased which will allow us to make a time lapse video of the entire installation process. It is hoped that we will be able to post the available time lapse video of the installation progress on the media mentioned above. We also plan to take groups on brief tours of the progress following the service on Sunday morning. We will meet at the Temple and walk over to the church together.
This is an exciting time in the life of our parish. We have much for which to be thankful! Soli Deo Gloria! To God Alone be Glory!
