The Restoration of the 1906 Jesse Woodbury Organ
Dedicated on July 3, 1831, the original St. Patrick Church, a wooden structure, was too small to meet the needs of Lowell’s growing Irish Catholic community. However the omniscient one had his own plan and in 1848, began what would come to be called the O’Brien Dynasty. Father John O’Brien, a man of vision, set St. Patrick’s on the path it follows to this day, helping immigrants struggling with the need to retain their ethnic identity and identifying themselves as Americans.
The tight knit Irish community that founded St. Patrick’s has been replaced by series of “new” people. Through it all St. Patrick’s has remained steadfast in its mission of service to God’s people. Patrick was first and foremost a missionary. The spirit he instilled in those first Irish was carried here to the heart of the Acre and has been passed on for almost two centuries. At Mass, we stretch out our hands and raise our voices as an act of receiving Christ into our hearts. The calloused hands and the voices of our diverse community come together in prayer and song – that joyful noise.
Taste in music has changed greatly over the decades. Some long time parishioners will recall organist Charlie McGrail playing “Holy God We Praise Thy Name” as soon as the priest intoned “Ite missa est” (Go the Mass is ended) and the congregation responded “Deo gratis” (Thanks be to God). Mr. McGrail then would blast the life out of the organ with a grand recessional, the vibrations of deep tones hitting parishioners as they left the church.
A Joyful Noise
At St. Patrick’s that joyful noise is often associated with the organ. In 1830’s Bishop Fenwick of Boston wrote in his diary that two-thirds of Catholic churches had little or no singing, just the sound of the organ. He even complained that on immigrant church in Lowell had what he considered “bad” singing. To help the situation, the Bishop, an amateur singer and musician himself, wrote a book of songs with lyrics to be used in the Diocese of Boston. St. Patrick Parish archives actually holds an original 1830’s copy of Bishop Fenwick’s work.
The organ in the original wooden church was second hand. That organ was made by local musician Ebenezer Goodrich. In his year’s accounting of church expenses in 1840, Father James McDermott paid the church organist $40 for his services. Father McDermott bought another organ in 1847 for the cost of $1,400. That organ was made by George Stevens. It had 22 registers (or stops) which refers to the pipes that produce notes. Ever hear of “pulling out all the stops?” It means give it all you’ve got.
When the present church was opened, a grand building such as it is, it needed a grander organ. The E. & G. G. Hook organ installed in 1850 cost $3,000, quite a sum for the time, and had 33 stops. There is a possibility this organ was powered by water to pump the bellows. The organ was in place right up until the fire in 1904 when it was destroyed. Some pipes were salvaged and put into a Chelmsford church. The organist at the time, Professor Johnson, actually entered the church during the fire to save some church music..
Today’s Organ
When the church was rebuilt after the 1904 fire, the Jesse Woodberry Company of Boston designed and installed a new organ for the Church. Not wanting to obstruct the grand stained glass window of St. Patrick preaching to the Chieftains at Tara, Woodberry designed a divided organ with pipes separated to provide a clear view of the window. According to an article in the Lowell Sun, this new organ was considered one of the finest in New England. The original cost was $11,000.
The organ is of 4 parts: the Choir organ with 11 stops, the Pedal with 10 stops, the Great with 11 stops, and the Swell with 15 stops. The organ has 2,748 speaking pipes, 976 pipes on the Great, 964 on the Swell, 598 on the Choir, and 210 on the Pedal. There are also 27 pipes in the center section that are non-speaking (dummy) pipes needed to fill in the space artistically. These pipes are not included in the pipe count. Viewing from the floor, the organ’s pipes reach almost to the ceiling. It is the largest pipe organ built by Woodberry, and the largest surviving pipe organ in the City of Lowell.
The instrument had been unplayable until June 2023 when Andover Organ completed the restoration of the organ with its 4 divisions, 46 stops, and 2,748 pipes. The project, originally projected to take three years, took almost seven thanks in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects it had on the supply chain and labor. Andover Organ’s work included upgrading the organ’s console mechanisms and electrical control systems; re-leathering and fitting the pedal wind chests with new primary magnets; building new manual chests, cleaning, repairing, and adjusting the pipes for evenness of speech and tone; and repairing and re leathering the large reservoir in the tower area. Benjamin Mague, project director for Andover Organ, notes: “The organ is as good if not better than new.
Prepared by David McKean, educator, historian, author, and life-long parishioner of St. Patrick Parish. Produced by the Irish Cultural Committee which is committed to preserving its beloved Church.
The tight knit Irish community that founded St. Patrick’s has been replaced by series of “new” people. Through it all St. Patrick’s has remained steadfast in its mission of service to God’s people. Patrick was first and foremost a missionary. The spirit he instilled in those first Irish was carried here to the heart of the Acre and has been passed on for almost two centuries. At Mass, we stretch out our hands and raise our voices as an act of receiving Christ into our hearts. The calloused hands and the voices of our diverse community come together in prayer and song – that joyful noise.
Taste in music has changed greatly over the decades. Some long time parishioners will recall organist Charlie McGrail playing “Holy God We Praise Thy Name” as soon as the priest intoned “Ite missa est” (Go the Mass is ended) and the congregation responded “Deo gratis” (Thanks be to God). Mr. McGrail then would blast the life out of the organ with a grand recessional, the vibrations of deep tones hitting parishioners as they left the church.
A Joyful Noise
At St. Patrick’s that joyful noise is often associated with the organ. In 1830’s Bishop Fenwick of Boston wrote in his diary that two-thirds of Catholic churches had little or no singing, just the sound of the organ. He even complained that on immigrant church in Lowell had what he considered “bad” singing. To help the situation, the Bishop, an amateur singer and musician himself, wrote a book of songs with lyrics to be used in the Diocese of Boston. St. Patrick Parish archives actually holds an original 1830’s copy of Bishop Fenwick’s work.
The organ in the original wooden church was second hand. That organ was made by local musician Ebenezer Goodrich. In his year’s accounting of church expenses in 1840, Father James McDermott paid the church organist $40 for his services. Father McDermott bought another organ in 1847 for the cost of $1,400. That organ was made by George Stevens. It had 22 registers (or stops) which refers to the pipes that produce notes. Ever hear of “pulling out all the stops?” It means give it all you’ve got.
When the present church was opened, a grand building such as it is, it needed a grander organ. The E. & G. G. Hook organ installed in 1850 cost $3,000, quite a sum for the time, and had 33 stops. There is a possibility this organ was powered by water to pump the bellows. The organ was in place right up until the fire in 1904 when it was destroyed. Some pipes were salvaged and put into a Chelmsford church. The organist at the time, Professor Johnson, actually entered the church during the fire to save some church music..
Today’s Organ
When the church was rebuilt after the 1904 fire, the Jesse Woodberry Company of Boston designed and installed a new organ for the Church. Not wanting to obstruct the grand stained glass window of St. Patrick preaching to the Chieftains at Tara, Woodberry designed a divided organ with pipes separated to provide a clear view of the window. According to an article in the Lowell Sun, this new organ was considered one of the finest in New England. The original cost was $11,000.
The organ is of 4 parts: the Choir organ with 11 stops, the Pedal with 10 stops, the Great with 11 stops, and the Swell with 15 stops. The organ has 2,748 speaking pipes, 976 pipes on the Great, 964 on the Swell, 598 on the Choir, and 210 on the Pedal. There are also 27 pipes in the center section that are non-speaking (dummy) pipes needed to fill in the space artistically. These pipes are not included in the pipe count. Viewing from the floor, the organ’s pipes reach almost to the ceiling. It is the largest pipe organ built by Woodberry, and the largest surviving pipe organ in the City of Lowell.
The instrument had been unplayable until June 2023 when Andover Organ completed the restoration of the organ with its 4 divisions, 46 stops, and 2,748 pipes. The project, originally projected to take three years, took almost seven thanks in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects it had on the supply chain and labor. Andover Organ’s work included upgrading the organ’s console mechanisms and electrical control systems; re-leathering and fitting the pedal wind chests with new primary magnets; building new manual chests, cleaning, repairing, and adjusting the pipes for evenness of speech and tone; and repairing and re leathering the large reservoir in the tower area. Benjamin Mague, project director for Andover Organ, notes: “The organ is as good if not better than new.
Prepared by David McKean, educator, historian, author, and life-long parishioner of St. Patrick Parish. Produced by the Irish Cultural Committee which is committed to preserving its beloved Church.