HANOI (UCAN): A magnificent pipe organ from Japan given to St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hanoi, Vietnam, is expected to bring people together. On November 23, Archbishop Marek Zalewski, non-resident representative of the Holy See to Vietnam, and Archbishop Joseph Vu Van Thien of Hanoi attended a special concert to mark the instrument’s installation in the cathedral.
Also present at the concert that drew hundreds of people, including government officials, were Yasuyuki Fujiwara, mayor of Itami City, Japan, and Guido Schumacher, a Belgian craftsperson who designed the organ as part of an important cultural exchange project between Itami and Hasselt in Belgium.
Fujiwara said he was delighted that the splendid organ, which sat for three decades in Itami’s Sun City Hall for elderly citizens, has a new place that is the grace of God given to local Catholics.
“The organ will produce beautiful and lovely sounds helping the faithful get closer to God during liturgical services in the cathedral,” he said.
Fujiwara expressed deep gratitude to the archdiocese for gracefully receiving the organ with the choral concert. Despite coming from different cultures, all people share the same interest in music.
The organ will produce beautiful and lovely sounds helping the faithful get closer to God during liturgical services in the cathedral
Yasuyuki Fujiwara
Archbishop Vu said the grand organ seemed to have waited for a long time to go to the Gothic-style cathedral as the seven-metre tall instrument with 1,850 pipes fits the cathedral’s choir area.
The archbishop hoped that the splendid organ would be a bridge between Itami and Hanoi and between the two countries; living proof of the warm friendship between them.
He also presented commemorative gifts to Japanese officials and Vietnamese-Japanese Father Peter Pham Hoang Trinh, who handled the procedures for transporting the instrument to Vietnam.
Schumacher, who has plied his craft for more than 40 years, said the organ symbolises Christianity as its pipes, although they are different in structure, all work together to create beautiful sounds. They work as members of the Church.
The 64-year-old pointed out that the organ has an important place in the lives of Catholics, accompanying them through baptisms, weddings and funerals.
Schumacher, who has plied his craft for more than 40 years, said the organ symbolises Christianity as its pipes, although they are different in structure, all work together to create beautiful sounds. They work as members of the Church
He hopes that the organ will be a symbol of the international friendship and cultural exchange between Vietnam and Belgium. It can be used for 100 years or 200 years if properly maintained, Schumacher added.
Cecilia Tran Tam Trang, a cathedral choir member, said the choir was proud of the magnificent organ which has a long story with cultural history. “The meaningful concert brings me closer to God as I am a convert,” she said.
Father Pham, the assistant parish priest at Oita Catholic Church in Oita, said Itami City purchased the organ from Schumacher and placed it in the hall at a cost of 70 million yen [$4.03 million] in 1993. The deal came about as Itami has had a sister-city affiliation with Hasselt since 1985.
However, Itami was forced to relinquish the organ, citing is expensive maintenance and repair costs. Father Pham made arrangements for the Archdiocese of Hanoi to accept the instrument without charge. The archdiocese covered all expenses for its relocation and repair.
The organ was sent to the cathedral in July before Belgian artisans replaced its damaged pipes and assembled it. Pipe organs need to be overhauled every 20 to 25 years.
