Welcome to St. Peter Church, Omaha THE SAINT PETER CHURCH ORGAN PROJECT Our Vision “Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." MATTHEW 22:36-39 The vital seed—the sine qua non—of the renewal of parish life at St. Peter under Fr. Cook and Fr. Broheimer would be a return to this first and greatest Commandment: to love God with heart, soul, and mind. This demanded a clear vision of the Sacred Liturgy. When, little by little, Fr. Cook began to inspire the parishioners to reclaim the treasures of their Catholic faith, he began with a simple return to the fundamentals of faithful, traditional worship. Yet nobody predicted that tending this small flame would explode as it has into the current multi-faceted conflagration of parish renewal for which St. Peter has become known! Pope St. John XXIII when dedicating a new organ at St. Peter’s Basilica promised it “…would do its part in lifting men up to the throne of the Most High” and aid in establishing in them the “dispositions needed” of “…adoration, exultation, and gratitude.” The Council echoed John XXIII’s enthusiasm granting the organ “pride of place” in worship. This project marks the physical capstone of the renovation begun 15 years ago. A Brief History St. Peter’s pipe organ, installed ca. 1926, was built during the waning years of the once highly reputed Kilgen Organ Company. Over the decades, both the mechanism and even some of Kilgen’s typically well-made pipe work was subject to seriously inexpert alterations which were made partly to overcome the sound-dampening materials introduced into the church’s interior. By the first decade of the 21st century, the organ’s original console failed, necessitating its replacement with a mismatched console from another instrument— itself a piece of hardware in disrepair—just to restore some temporary functionality and to buy time for its inevitable overhaul/replacement. Recent mechanical failures have necessitated an exhaustive study of all long-term options. It was determined that, given the state of the instrument, a repair/rebuild would yield limited results. We then investigated several potential “transplant” instruments from other institutions, but in each case, the dimensions of St. Peter’s relatively wide loft and low ceiling necessitated rebuilds equaling the cost of a new instrument – yet with old pipework. After years of intensive study and consultation with experts near and far, it became clear that the only viable long-term solution would be to build a new instrument. With joy Archbishop Lucas called Fr. Broheimer last Christmas Eve to grant his blessing to move forward with an organ project that would build an instrument designed specifically for the restored interior of our historic church, home of a now thriving parish with an active, multi-tiered Music Program. Take a Tour of St. Peter's Failing Organ Our Plan: A Two-Fold Project St. Peter’s efforts toward fostering sincere worship necessarily shows forth in fulfillment of the second great Commandment: love of neighbor. Home to one of the longest serving and most hands-on St. Vincent de Paul Chapters in Omaha, St. Peter parish never misses an opportunity to expand its outreach. For this reason, 10% of the funds raised for the instrument will go directly to assist those in need for food, clothing, utility assistance and true accompaniment in time of need. Our Goals A Voice for God’s House, a Heart for God’s Poor campaign is an act of faith which profoundly connects the dignity of Catholic worship to our dignified outreach and concern for those in need. To achieve these two priorities, we have set milestone goals: Celebration Goal $1.25 Million (Organ Fund) $125,000 (10% Outreach Fund) Challenge Goal $1.7 Million (Organ Fund) $170,000 (10% Outreach Fund) “Charity and devotion differ no more, the one from the other, than the flame from the fire.” ST. FRANCIS DE SALES Give This Temple a Voice Some suppose a church organ to be a selfcontained music machine and regard the church building merely as the place in which it is housed. On the contrary, for a proper church organ, the building is the instrument! The organ is the voice of the building. Just as one identifies a violin by its wooden body—not merely by its strings—so too a pipe organ is constructed as a means of exploiting the existing acoustic “body” of the instrument—that is, the church’s nave. Detailed acoustic assessments are made and pipes are located and voiced to highlight the exact acoustic strengths of the church. But imagine a Stradivarius violin without strings! Since the 2014 renovation, St. Peter now possesses one of the finest acoustics in Omaha. Thus, giving this building a “voice” is a substantial investment in the future of St. Peter Church itself. “. . .arrayed with the lightning of his glory, let this holy building shake with joy, filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.” EASTER EXULTET Please Consider Joining Us The donate button below has been created expressly for the purpose of supporting the St. Peter Organ Project. Organ Project Committee John and Diane Anderson Dr. Michael Bauer, Consultant Dr. Marie Rubis Bauer, Consultant Jeremy Bowers Christopher Candela, OP Keith and Teri Deras Kevin and Cindy Engelkamp Bernie Gutschewski Regina Heywood Jim Koch Dick Muller Bill and Rita Sawin Michael Stevens Mike and Denise Terneus Christopher Candela DIRECTOR OF MUSIC / ORGANIST – SaintPeterScholaCantorum@protonmail.com Fr. John Broheimer PASTOR – fatherbroheimer@gmail.com St. Peter Catholic Church St. Peter Office and Rectory 709 South 28th Street, Omaha NE 68105 Telephone: (402) 341-4560 | Fax: (402) 341-6483 Email: secretary@stpeterchurch.net Follow Us ©2019 | All Rights Reserved | Design by JennsonTech