As 50,000 Catholics traveled to St. Louis for the beatification, even the organ at the Mass was a special tribute to America’s newest blessed.
As 50,000 Catholics traveled to St. Louis for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, even the organ at the Mass contained a special tribute to America’s newest blessed.
Monty Bennett, director of sacred music and principal organist at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in South Carolina, was one of the organists for the Beatification Mass.
He also had the rare opportunity to customize the new Rodgers organ that provided music for the historic celebration, and he chose to honor Fulton Sheen in several subtle but meaningful ways.
The three-manual Rodgers Infinity 367 was provided by Rodgers Instruments for the Mass and will have a permanent home at Our Lady of Grace after the event.
An organist can select different stops to produce a wide range of sounds. On the Rodgers Infinity 367, advanced digital technology recreates the tonal characteristics of traditional pipe organs, offering an extensive palette of organ voices.
When Bennett chose the stops for the Rodgers 367 organ at the Mass, he turned to an organ that Blessed Fulton Sheen would have known. In an interview, he said:
I immediately went to the organ that Archbishop Sheen would have known, at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Peoria, Illinois. So I decided to really go with signs that would have been something that he would have known from the cathedral where he was ordained.
Bennett deliberately incorporated those elements into the new organ as a nod to the instrument Sheen would have known.
Then Bennett took it a step further and gave particular stops commemorative names as part of his customization.
One style of trumpet stop—called a “Chamade”—stands out for its horizontal rather than vertical pipes, allowing it to project out with a powerful and penetrating sound.
“I decided that the Chamade stop, the trumpet on Chamade, would be named the ‘Sheen trumpet,’” Bennett said. The voice of that prominent stop reflects Archbishop Sheen’s strong and distinctive voice, making the name a fitting memorial.
Finally, Bennett even added a sweet touch honoring Blessed Sheen’s love for the Blessed Mother, with both a special stop name and a small but deeply meaningful customization.
The tuba on the choir is named in honor of Mary, since Archbishop Sheen had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother. The organ will be installed in my parish, which is dedicated to Our Lady of Grace, so the stop is even engraved in blue, rather than how most reeds on the organ are engraved in red.
Countless thoughtful details went into the Beatification and surrounding events, from the souvenir gift bags to the replica of Archbishop Sheen’s TV studio. What a joy to know that even the music at the Mass was designed to sound like the organ Sheen knew. As Bennett explained,
This is history in the making, and we are very honored to be a part of it. I think the opportunity for Rodgers to support this Mass is just—it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I truly believe that this marriage made in heaven was orchestrated by God and St. Cecilia, and I also think the now Blessed Fulton Sheen had his hand in the intercessions to make this organ possible.
