St Catherine’s Parish Eldorado Park, Pipe Organ Fundraiser

by Admin · Published September 8, 2025 · Updated September 8, 2025

By Schalk Fredericks – The parish choir of St Catherine’s church in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, has launched a fundraising campaign for the repair and maintenance of its pipe organ and music instrument needs.

The origin of the pipe organ is unknown, but it likely came from Europe at a time when missionary nuns served the parish from Germany. It is believed to be at least 60-70 years old.

Pipe organs, the “King of Instruments”, operate via air that is pumped through copper alloy and wood pipes. They have a lifespan of hundreds of years, unlike modern electronic organs that have a lifespan of 80 years due to components becoming obsolete.

The pipe organ at St Catherine’s is valued at R650000. “It is our Kliptown heritage item and is one of only three similar organs in the Johannesburg area. Unfortunately, the Eldorado Park pipe organ has had minimal maintenance over the years,” according to campaign organiser Nikita Pandor.

Extensive work needs to be done on the pipe organ, including:

Refurbishing the wind reservoir
Change power supply to a solid state system — the electrical system of the organ needs to be updated, entailing complete rewiring and replacing damaged solenoid magnets.
Replace swell shutters — the pipe organ has no volume (loud and soft) control.
The power plug and electric motor need to be upgraded.

Pipe organs typically need seasonal servicing, summer and winter, to maintain their quality of sound.

Pianos and guitars donated to the parish also require repair and maintenance to the tune of R60,000.

As a township parish, Eldorado Park has struggled to raise funds for music instrument repair. Covid aggravated matters through decreased church membership, job losses and a generally poor community that suffers from a lack of basic utilities service delivery.

“If the pipe organ is restored and maintained annually, it will serve our Eldorado Park Catholic community for many generations. This will be our legacy to our children’s children, and it will never land on a scrapheap or museum,” Pandor said.

All funds raised will be deposited directly into the official account of St Catherine of Siena Catholic church, Eldorado Park. “Every donation, no matter the size, makes a difference, helping us restore a powerful part of our worship, our history, and our joy,” Pandor said.

Donations can be made via the crowd-funding site https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-restore-the-heart-of-worship-in-our-parish