Ronald Damholt on September 27th, 2023:
In 2005, Walter Bradford wrote: "The rich tones of the pipe organ are once again supporting the voices of the congregants at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church. "The organ was built in 1915 by the firm of Tellers and Sommerhof of Erie, Pennsylvania. The two manual and pedal instrument has 29 stops and 1662 pipes. In the 1920's the console was removed from the upper gallery and a new console was installed in the more spacious lower gallery allowing room for choir and instrumentalists. "Sometime in the 1970's the organ fell into disrepair, and as hard times befell the parish, organ pipes were sold off to raise money for necessary maintenance of the church. "Recently the returning health of the Holy Cross parish was recognized by philanthropists Philip and Edith Leonian, and their good graces made it possible for the Bradford Organ Company to begin restoration of the instrument in 2003. The missing pipes were retrieved, the inner workings of the instrument were removed and thoroughly cleaned, repairs were made and once again the voice of the pipe organ sounds in Holy Cross Church." Based on a reading both of the original contract (dated 4/24/2004) and of subsequent correspondence between Walter Bradford, the Leonians and Fr. Bruce Wellems (then pastor of Holy Corss - IHM), Bradford Organ Company committed to the following work: cleaning the entire organ (including all pipework); releathering reservoirs, all primary and secondary pouches, stop action and tremolo; designing and building entirely new stop action for the Pedal division; cleaning and rebuilding the console (replacing stop tabs, restoring combination action, replacing the original pedal board); installing a new blower; tuning the instrument. Bradford also added a cymbelstern, as a gift to the parish.