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St. Aloysius Church Undergoing Renovations
Last month, after hosting hundreds of alumni and friends for a beautiful Mass on Christmas Eve, Gonzaga closed the doors to St. Aloysius Church for some much-needed renovations.
Although minor fixes and repairs to the pipe organ have taken place over the years, it has never had a complete restoration. Built in 1950 by the Kilgen Organ Company of St. Louis, Missouri--the same company that built the organ in New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral--the organ in St. Al's was past its life expectancy and beginning to show signs of failure. Over the course of the next few months, the organ's electrical console will be rebuilt, its leather components replaced, and its pipes disassembled, cleaned, and restored.
In addition, during this time, workers will be repainting the ceiling of the sanctuary. All of these repairs are scheduled to take about three months--with the renovations complete in plenty of time for St. Al's to host Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 31.
With St. Al's offline, Gonzaga is holding its all-school Masses in the Carmody Center for the next few months. Fr. Harry Gieb, SJ, who recently took over as the new rector of the Gonzaga Jesuit Community, served as celebrant of the first Mass of the spring semester on Monday, January 13. Here is a short video from the Mass:
The St. Aloysius Fund supports the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of this Gonzaga treasure; we welcome your donations here. The first 25 donors to make a gift will be mailed a copy of Swampoodle Lily: The Jesuit Church of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. Reflections on Some of Its Times, Its Growth and Survival to the Present by Robert Francis Murrray '53. Thank you for your support.
Celebrating 200 Years of Jesuit Education in the Nation's Capital
