Q: At Sunday Mass, Father announced that the church pipe organ was going to be replaced by a digital organ, because the pipe organ was in very bad shape. He said that he was given an anonymous gift of $100,000 to do this, and the contract has already been signed. This was the first I had heard of this. I attend the parish council and parish finance committee meetings and this was never discussed. The people of the parish have already donated $22,000 to fix the pipe organ.
I did learn that the Bishop must approve purchases over $10K, and he must also approve any change to the interior of a parish church, such as changing out the organ. The pastor later told me that the Bishop gave him permission to remove the existing organ and to purchase a digital organ.
Does the pipe organ constitute church property which the pastor has only limited control over, specifically, can I insist that the old pipe organ parts be stored rather than thrown out or, what I’m afraid of, sold for big bucks? And can I insist just as a regular parishioner, to know what happens to the old pipe organ parts, and whether it is sold? It certainly has a “value” and I am just afraid that it’s being sold out from under us and that Father has unwisely settled for a fake sound-maker. –Dave Continue reading →
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