Restored pipe organ plays again at spiritual center

The pipe organ plays heavenly music once more at the newly reopened Provincial Chapel of the Sisters of Bon Secours at Bon Secours Spiritual Center in Marriottsville.

Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien celebrated the reopening of the chapel and the rededication of its restored pipe organ on Oct. 30.

The archbishop also blessed a newly constructed wall of finished stone, a new gathering space in the rear of the chapel and a new welcoming font at the chapel’s entrance.

Sister Alice Talone, president of the Sisters of Bon Secours U.S.A., and members of the community gathered for the Provincial General Assembly.

Archbishop O’Brien called the organ the best instrument for Catholic liturgical music. He said he was glad the sisters had chosen to conserve and rehabilitate the organ, which had been used in the chapel for 40 years.

Sister Alice said the Sisters of Bon Secours intended to continue making their Provincial House and the Spiritual Center a resource for spiritual growth.

After the dedication, more than 70 people attended a concert with John Peragallo III, an owner of the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company, performing on the organ, which the company restored.

The Sisters of Bon Secours plan a series of organ concerts in 2009 to celebrate the organ’s return and to encourage the use of the pipe organ.

For more information, visit the center’s website at www.bonsecoursspiritualcenter.org.

Catholic Review

The Catholic Review is the official publication of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.