Christ the King Parish in Tampa will be celebrating the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe with a group recital given by organists and music directors from around the Diocese of St. Petersburg. The recital on November 21st, at 3 p.m. will bring together the talents of eight diocesan organists and music directors and will showcase the church’s recently renovated, one-of-a-kind organ. The one-hour program is free to the public and will include virtuosi masterworks as well as popular favorites.

Originally a 40-rank Wicks pipe organ, the instrument was remodeled and enlarged as the final part of a church renovation project. A four-manual console or keyboard, custom-built in Italy by Viscount Organ, was installed. Also, added to the instrument’s existing 2,429 pipes, were new “digital voices” which expand the organ stops or sounds, from 32 to 89. This created a more beautiful and versatile tonal palette.

Christ the King Pastor, Father Leonard Plazewski, says the organ’s sound has made an impactful difference in the way he celebrates Mass.

“At Mass, it is not just about enhancing the life of the people who come, but also about the Priest’s prayer. Because of the extraordinary range of the organ, the triumph is more triumph, the reflective is more reflective and the capability of the organ wholeheartedly fills our hearts with love and joy. It ultimately reminds us of the divinity of God, which is why we are there in the first place,” said Father Plazewski.

Parish Music Director Stephen Banyra said work on the instrument is still continuing.

“Just this past summer, the pipes for the organ’s Festival Trumpet were repaired and reinstalled.  It’s one of the loudest sounds on the instrument.  The diocesan recital in November will be my first chance to really show it off!” said Banyra.

The organ is attracting a following of organ aficionados. Tampa’s American Guild of Organists kicked-off their fall season with a “hands-on, test drive” of the new organ at their first in-person event in nearly two years.

St. John Paul II wrote in his letter to Artists, “None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands. In order to communicate the message entrusted to them by Christ, the Church needs art. Art must make perceptible, and as far as possible attractive, the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of God. It must therefore translate into meaningful terms that which is in itself ineffable. Art has a unique capacity to take one or other facet of the message and translate it into colors, shapes and sounds which nourish the intuition of those who look or listen. It does so without emptying the message itself of its transcendent value and its aura of mystery.”

This is exactly what the essence of the new church organ does for those who attend Mass. It reminds them of the Beauty, Truth and Goodness of God.