Technician Larry Marowsky removed a speaker cloth covering the 90-year-old pipe organ.

For the past seven years, this cloth veiled the jewel of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rutland.

While the organ remained functional bellowing its acoustic sound throughout the church every Sunday, the ornamental gold-speaking pipes that reached to the ceiling and together formed a 'W' shape were absent.

The Rev. Edward Kopec first noticed these ornamental pipes collecting dust and birds while deteriorating in the church's basement. With the help of church volunteers, these pipes were cleaned, painted gold and restored to once again tower above the church's balcony and blow their heavenly sound.

"It's amazing," Kopec said. "Some church decorators advised my predecessor that these pipes were not speaking pipes. They actually are speaking pipes, and the pipe organ has been playing for the past seven years without them."

The reintroduction of the front ornamental speaking pipes is just one of many projects planned by Kopec and Marowsky to restore Sacred Heart's pipe organ back to its original condition.

"This will serve us well into the future," said Kopec, who also serves as the priest at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Toluca. "(Our parishioners) are all pleased we're preserving a part of the history of this church."

From his past experience restoring a pipe organ in Spring Valley, Kopec — a musician himself — knew Marowsky was the right man to call for the overdue project.

"There are so few in this business," said Marowsky. "We're both from Milwaukee and we met through a mutual acquaintance. I know with his work, we can guarantee this organ for the next 100 years."

The 78-year old Marowsky admits that once he starts talking about the mechanically complicated instruments, he cannot stop. A player himself, his curiosity started in high school and led to building a small pipe organ from used parts. The organ remains in his basement.

"I always loved the sound of the pipe organ and was fascinated with 'what's behind this?'" Marowsky said. "The real satisfaction comes when you are finished and you can sit down and play."

Marowsky has been in the pipe organ technician business for the past 20 years since retiring from his teaching position. He resides in Jefferson, Wis. and travels as far as Minnesota and Illinois in his repair van to fix or tune up a pipe organ.

Since Rutland is a 148-mile trip from home, Marowsky is staying with Kopec at the Toluca Rectory for the week. This is his third trip to Sacred Heart and he has four more planned after winter.

"I enjoy (the travel)," Marowsky said. "I get to meet very nice people like Father Kopec and see many different churches. It's also a challenge because no two jobs are exactly the same."

In Spring Valley, Marowsky fixed a pipe organ that could not play. This time around, his goal is to restore Sacred Heart's pipe organ back to the Jan. 1, 1919, day it was dedicated.

One of only 223 of its kind, the organ was manufactured by Hinners — a company out of Pekin. Unique for the time, Hinners mass-assembled and sold pipe organs out of a catalogue. The Rev. F.B. Dickman purchased the Sacred Heart's pipe organ for $1,770 from donations to replace a pump organ. A man named Mr. Deis played for approximately 400 people at the dedication.

The current restoration project cost the church $3,000 so far and Kopec expects it will cost about another $6,000.

To organist Marge Cusac, who has played the 90-year-old instrument there for the past 50 years, Marowsky is a godsend.

"I'll be glad,"Cusac said. "It got to the point where it needed to be overhauled. It's always been a part of our church and it sounds amazing for how old it is. It'll be wonderful to sit down and play when it's finished."

Responses like Cusac's make Marowsky's work worth the while.

"I feel that Iam motivated by the fact that I can serve the Lord in this way," Marowsky said. "He's given me the ability to fix (pipe organs) and that in turn allows churches to further their worship."

A booklet celebrating the church's centennial and reflecting on its history proclaimed the pipe organ "brought music seldom heard outside of a large city."

With Kopec's vision and Marowsky's handiness, the small church of 20 families and small town of 150 people will continue to celebrate their religion in the same grand fashion.

"This is a magnificent church for a small town," Kopec said. "We don't know how long we'll be able to keep Sunday services here. With the size of our church and the limited number of priests, that's always a concern. When the time does come, our church and our pipe organ will be preserved."