BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Known as the “king of instruments,” the majestic church pipe organ is facing a difficult time. There is a shortage of organists that is affecting not only the 185 parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn but churches across the country. Locally, from Bay Ridge to Bayside, a scarcity of organ players is having an impact on Sunday services. 

According to Gary Di Franco, dean of the Brooklyn Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), there are currently 48 members, down approximately 10 from a decade ago. Since Brooklyn, Queens, and New York City have their own chapters, Di Franco could not speak for the attrition rate overall but indicated that within Brooklyn, there has been a decrease in active members within all denominations.

Di Franco emphasized how his Brooklyn Heights based organization helps advocate for organists by offering continuing education programs, musical enrichment, support for certification, and outreach to afford organists the ability to perform in churches throughout the borough. 

“Our organization offers workshops for members on honing their skills, for example, how to conduct a choir from the organ, along with social events,” Di Franco explained. “We sponsor a number of concerts for our members in churches throughout Brooklyn, as well as the Queens Chapter and the New York Chapter.” 

Di Franco, who has been an organist in Catholic churches for 40 years, attended Holy Child Parish in Staten Island, where he began playing the organ as a 12-year-old. For the last three years, he has been playing at Our Lady of Mercy in Forest Hills, and before that, he was an organist at St. Finbar’s in Bensonhurst for 19 years. 

Di Franco believes that the organ is an essential and invaluable part of the church liturgy. “There’s something I find much more beautiful when there is music with an organist and a cantor singing,” said Di Franco. “If everything is done right, the hymns that I select should fit in with the pastor’s homily because we’re both reading the same scripture, and we’re both coming up with similar themes, so usually, it dovetails nicely.” 

J.W. Arnold, marketing and communications specialist with the AGO, said that the organization has about 13,000 members nationally, ranging in age from young children to senior citizens. He admitted that after the pandemic, the membership took a hit due to some churches being closed for one or two years, but he’s optimistic for a resurgence now that things are opening up. He said the AGO is focused on encouraging younger members to take up the organ and noted that the organization has attracted more than 1,000 new members under the age of 30 since 2021. 

Two years ago, the AGO found that 58% of members surveyed reported serving 31 or more years as organists with a religious organization, with most members being in their mid-50s to mid-70s. 

While the organ is not an instrument one would readily take up, like the guitar, saxophone, piano, or trumpet, the AGO is finding new ways to introduce the organ to younger people. For example, the Brooklyn Chapter of the AGO hosts a “Pedals, Pipes and Pizza” event in Park Slope geared towards students ages eight to 18 who play the piano and might be interested in playing or learning more about the organ. 

When the 1932 Kilgen pipe organ at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Kensington/Windsor Terrace needed to be restored three years ago, Father Ilyas Gill insisted that the majestic pipes be repaired, despite the $350,000 cost. Father Gill, who has been pastor at the 130-year-old parish for eight years, spearheaded the mission to raise the funds to replace the organ and repair its irreplaceable pipes and credits the generosity of his parishioners for bringing the effort to fruition. 

“The organ music brings the liturgy to life,” said Father Gill, “and it fills people with peace of mind and brings joy to their hearts as they come with so much burden from the world.” 

The new organ has certainly made a difference at Immaculate Heart of Mary, said organist Connor Whelan, the church’s music director. 

“It feels great compared to playing the old one because it was very worn and very out of tune,” Whelan said. He has been with IHM as music director for three years, although he grew up in the parish and has played the organ since he was a child. 

Whelan believes that the organ is an essential part of the church Mass because it helps bring people closer to God. 

“Our parishioners love hearing the traditional hymns like ‘Immaculate Mary,’ ‘Holy, Holy,’ and even a lot of the more contemporary songs like ‘On Eagle’s Wings’ and ‘Be Not Afraid,’ ” he explained. 

Whelan, who at age 27 is one of the younger organists in the diocese, does not rely on a songbook but plays strictly by ear. 

He thinks there certainly is a need in Catholic churches for more well-trained musicians and music directors, and he’s convinced training them early is the key. 

Carmen Martinez has been a parishioner at IHM for more than 50 years. Martinez said that having an organ at Mass is not only extremely important but also inspirational. At a Sunday service, or even during a funeral Mass, organ music can offer a sense of comfort and tranquility not found in other instruments, she added. 

“It sets the tone as you enter the church when you hear that fabulous music,” Martinez explained. “It’s quite spiritual and very moving.”