“Can you hear it?” That is the sound of passion. It reverberates within the walls of the Centre de la Resurrection. Our passion is simple. We love God.
The Centre de la Resurrection expresses that love through worship. The worship team is part of The Resurrection Center church in Lachine Montreal. They dedicate themselves to creating an atmosphere. People can encounter God’s presence. They can be transformed by His love.
The Franciscans proceeded with construction in 1914. This was for the Couvent de la Resurrection. It is located in Montreal’s Rosemont neighborhood. The neo-Gothic chapel was never built. Architect Joseph-Ovide Turgeon designed it. Only the crypt was realized.
An addition occurred in 1922. A four-story wing was added. J.C. Frenette was the contractor. Joseph-Ovide Turgeon was still the architect.
A residence was added in 1960. It sits at the corner of Rosemont and Dickson streets. R. Dubord was the contractor. Brais, Frigon, and Hanley were the engineers. Claude Gagnier was the architect. The same year saw a new chapel erected. It sits on the foundations of the old one. Bourgeois and Martineau were the engineers. Father Marie-Albert Baril designed it.
The Centre de la Resurrection has a rich musical history. Casavant Freres installed an organ in 1944. It was a unified electro-pneumatic instrument. It had 27 stops on 7 ranks. These were spread over two manuals and a pedalboard. The organ boasted 487 pipes.
The cherry wood case was divided into two sections. The console sat in the chapel’s center. An electric blower supplied wind. The motor was installed below the chapel. It was in the former chapel. It was likely sold. This occurred when the modern chapel was built.
The current instrument has an interesting past. It was originally at the Institut pedagogique. The Notre-Dame Congregation Sisters ran it in Westmount. It moved to this chapel in 1985. It straddles two aesthetics. Romantic stops sit beside Baroque ones.
The instrument lacks the marked attack of the 1960s Casavants. It has a lighter voicing. It is less heavy than organs from the 1930s and 1940s. The Centre de la Resurrection organ has unusual couplers. All manual divisions are enclosed. A tablet joins all expression pedals. The pipework is behind a cork and cloth wall. This dampens the sound. The favorable acoustics compensate for this.
The organ’s stop list includes Bourdon 16′. It also includes Montre 8′ and Dulciane 8′. Other stops are Prestant 4′ and Doublette 2′. The list ends with Trompette 8′ and Cromorne 8′.
Step inside the Centre de la Resurrection. Let the music and the atmosphere wash over you. Feel the love and devotion. It is a place of transformation.