MUSIC MINISTRY

 

 

 

Music can convey our thanks to God.  Music can be joyful.  Music can be praise to the Lord.  Music can be a prayer for forgiveness or a petition for help when trials threaten to overwhelm.  My name is Betsy Bair and I have been the organist for Our Lady of Mercy since 1971.  I began at the age of 13.  I knew four hymns and used the same four hymns for a month.  Over the years, I’ve learned that the heart of our ministry belongs to those who volunteer their time and talents to lift praise to our God and help support His people in worship.

 
New Choir Members Welcome! Choir is defined as a singing group; group of people who sing together.  To that definition, I would add, people who enjoy singing.  Notice, it doesn’t say you have to have a fantastic voice, a tremendous range or a powerful set of lungs.  With that being said, we invite you to consider joining us.  Can’t always be there?  Understood.  Have a limited singing range?  We all do.  Attend different Masses?  Great!  Play an instrument?  Awesome!  You want to sit with your family?   Bring them along!  We have a beautiful choir loft with plenty of room. 

History of Our Pipe Organ. The restoration and assembly of our pipe organ was done by master organ builder, Vic Marsilio of Victor Organ, LLC, of Austintown, Ohio. Console: MP Moller Piper Organ Company, Hagerstown, Maryland, 1927, from St. Michael Church, McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Four of the five ranks of pipes were manufactured by Austin Organ Company, Hartford, Connecticut. Originally, these pipes were installed in First Reformed Church, Youngstown, Ohio, 1914. The 5th Rank of Pipes includes 12 pipes from St. Michael Church. The remaining 61 pipes of the 5th Rank are from St. Paul Episcopal Cathedral, Detroit, Michigan, 1954. The Solid-state Operating System is a Peterson ICS-4000 that offers all the features and conveniences of a modern pipe organ. This includes a Transposer, Multi-Level Programmable Memory, Internal Hard Drive, External Flash Drive, a Digital Sequencer and MIDI Interface. The original 5 ranks were Gedeckt/Harmonic Flute, Diapason, Dulciana, Celeste and Trumpet. Also, installed were Cathedral Chimes and a Zimblestern (Star-Bell). In 2022/2023, Victor donated an additional 6 ranks. The additional ranks are a 16’ Pedal Sub Bass, Oboe, Vox Humana, 4’ Principal and II Mixture (2 ranks on one stop). These 390 additional pipes more than doubled the size of the organ. Also donated, a larger 220 VAC High Speed “Silent” Blower, a new Stop Rail on the organ itself and Victor’s time and labor. When you consider that a rank of pipes start at around $20,000, you begin to comprehend the magnitude of Vic’s generosity.

The Choir attends the Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation.  We are blessed with a dedicated group of adults and youth.  Practice is normally one evening a week.  Day and time is flexible according to the needs of our members.  The Music Ministry is growing.  Join us.  We offer a 100% guarantee that you will get more out of it, than you put in. 

If you have any thoughts, comments or questions about the Music Ministry, we would be happy to talk with you.