MUSIC TO YOUR EARS

The first organ at St. Francis de Sales was a pipe organ.  Donated by parishioner P.J. Healy (of Lyon and Healy music company in Chicago), Patrick Healy was a summer resident in Williams Bay.  We have never been able to find any photos of the actual organ, but we know it was up in the choir loft and that the pipes were along the wall.  We can only surmise that it looked kind of like this organ pictured in an ad from 1904.

Patrick Healy was the president of Lyon and Healy.  He "summered" in this home in Williams Bay off of Conference Point Road. The home is still there today!

We're not sure why the pipe organ was replaced in the 1950's.  It could have needed too much repair.  They could have wanted to take out the pipes to open up the area to move the St. Francis de Sales window from the front of the church to the back.  Perhaps they wanted something more "modern".  We think that the analog organ by Allen was purchased for SFDS in the 1950's, and that was used until recently.  It served our parish well, but had some keys and pedals that were no longer functional and could not be repaired.

Our new organ is also made by Allen.  It is a 3 manual Bravura model and uses state of the art technology to create a pipe organ sound at a fraction of the price of what a pipe organ would cost.  It has over 250 voices to create all kinds of music.   Michael Deane researched other companies and tested other organs and this one was the best value, quality and sound!  The company has been very good to work with, even sending a "loaner" at Christmas so that we could experiment with having the organ at the front of the church instead of up in the loft.  We really like having the organ in the front of the church for ease of use and a more cohesive sound with the choirs (no delay).

Michael Deane teaches the 5th graders about the organ during music class.

The organ has been an important part of the history of our parish and used for countless weddings, funerals, and liturgies.  Initially the organ was on our "wish list" for Project 2017.  We are thrilled that, through the generosity of our parishioners, we were able to exceed our financial goals and purchase this beautiful instrument!