Restoration of our historic Hinners Pipe Organ
We’ve had a number of exciting announcements around here recently, and another one is that we’re restoring our historic Hinners Pipe Organ, which is original to the church!
During our 125th Anniversary celebration a few years ago, we invested nearly three quarters of a million dollars into restoration projects at our parish, but the pipe organ was the one project we didn’t tackle.
It’s now time to see to it that our pipe organ is here for the next generation.
For the next Sunday Mass...
For the next wedding of your daughter or son...
For the next funeral of a loved one...
For the next parish anniversary...
Our timeline for restoration will be dependent on our success finding support for this important project from private donors and grants.
Currently, the pipe organ has its challenges. A number of the keys are missing, there are some notes that just can no longer be played, pipes and stops need restored, and the console needs to be rebuilt.
The organ was donated at the time of the construction of the church by Simon Burns, formerly of Rock Island, who later became a labor leader in the East, as a memorial to his mother, Mrs. Mary Simpson.
It was updated during the pastorate of Fr. Clement P. O’Neill (Pastor, 1913-1929) who oversaw the work himself, as music was one of his passions. Legend has it that Andrew Carnegie himself even donated $1,000 towards this pipe organ upgrade. Further updates were made to the organ in the 1990’s.
If you have a special place in your heart for the Sacred Heart pipe organ contact Chris Mandle at (309) 738-5967 or chrismandle@gmail.com about supporting our efforts
If you simply wish to make an online donation to this effort, you can do so here by selecting the “Pipe Organ Restoration Project“ from the list of dropdown options.