by Jeanne Gorman
Special to The Leaven
SHAWNEE — Music has played a major role in the Catholic Church since earliest times. Whether vocal or instrumental, music has lifted the prayers of the faithful to heaven in beautiful ways transcending the spoken word alone.
With the advent of the pipe organ, the churches and cathedrals of Europe and eventually, the United States, filled with what can only be described as heavenly music that supported and enhanced worship and the voices of the faithful.
Now, in many churches here in the archdiocese, they are coming back.
Good Shepherd
From its founding in 1973, Good Shepherd Parish in Shawnee embraced contemporary music in its worship. Indeed, as proudly relayed by its pastor, Father Kent O’Connor, Good Shepherd’s choir has rightfully earned a fine reputation for its contemporary music.
But adding a pipe organ had long been envisioned for the parish just the same. Now the dreams of a former staffer and the gift of a generous benefactor have somewhat unexpectedly coalesced to provide the church with a pipe organ.
The visionary
Around the time the current Good Shepherd Church was being planned more than 20 years ago, Sister Claudette Schiratti, SM, then the music director at the parish, urged that the church, which was being designed as a relatively contemporary structure, be architecturally designed and constructed to accommodate pipes for a pipe organ. This led to the construction of a soaring space behind the altar that stood relatively barren until recently.
Other churches have found that because of their architecture, there is no space left for a pipe organ. But Sister Claudette’s prescience helped make her dream of a pipe organ for Good Shepherd possible, more than 20 years after the church was built.
The benefactor
A few years ago, the parish received an end-of-life gift in the amount of $515,000. The bequest specified that the money be used to purchase/build a pipe organ for the sanctuary. To the best of Father O’Connor’s knowledge, no one at the church, including him, knew that Eleanor (“Ellie”) Miller intended to leave this generous gift to her parish upon her death.
The plan
Upon learning of the Miller gift, Father O’Connor put in motion a plan to fulfill Miller’s wish. When he contacted the dean of the organ department at the University of Kansas, he was told the expert in the field was in the pastor’s own backyard — Kevin Vogt, music director at St. Michael the Archangel in Leawood — who then consulted with the parish and assisted with the selection of the organ that was ultimately purchased.
The organ was purchased from Greenleaf Organ Company, whose personnel, said Father O’Connor, were “self-professed organ geeks who are into their work for its artistry, science and craftsmanship.”
The parishioners
Because of the parish’s long tradition of commitment to artistry, especially contemporary music, Father O’Connor anticipated there would be some questions — and even opposition — to the acquisition of a pipe organ.
Accordingly, he sent a letter to all parish families explaining the reasoning behind the purchase. He emphasized the nature of Miller’s gift, and how it could enhance an already rich music tradition at the parish.
“We did not want to simply build a ‘run-of-the-mill’ organ,” he wrote, “but one that is special and unique to Good Shepherd.”
He need not have worried, however. In a show of support, a group of parishioners gathered at the church one evening to assist with installing the organ by forming a “pipe brigade” — passing pipes from the back of the church one to the other up to the space in the front of the church where the pipes were being installed.
This greatly assisted the installation of the century-old used organ, which it had refurbished to meet Good Shepherd’s specifications. The organ had originally been constructed and installed for a church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but fits beautifully in its new home.
The beneficiaries
Sister Claudette’s vision and Miller’s generosity came together in a most providential way. Sadly, neither of them lived to see their shared dream become a reality.
The parishioners of Good Shepherd, however, will benefit from their vision. The organ will not replace or displace the contemporary music which has been a staple of worship at Good Shepherd since its founding. But it will bring a new dimension to sacred music at the parish for years to come.
