‘Perseverance’ and ‘commitment’ are words Dale Wright, the organist at St Brendan’s Catholic Church, knows all too well.
For four decades, the musical notes that fill the air at the church have been brought to life by his skilled hands.
Mr Wright’s musical journey began at the age of four when his mother taught him to play God Save the Queen with just one finger.
“At that time, I was living on a farm, and over time, I learned to play the piano by ear,” he said.
Mr Wright’s talent was recognised by a music teacher, who coincidentally was the organist at St Brendan’s at the time.
“My mum took me to see a music teacher named Mary Chuck. She said I was far too advanced and she couldn’t teach me,” Mr Wright said.
Due to this, he never learned to read music.
Nevertheless, over the years, he pursued his passion for the art and even started a rock ’n’ roll band, despite being told it was impossible since he couldn’t read music.
His determination to break the stereotype led to a 20-year stint in the band before starting his trio, JDT.
During the 1980s, Mr Wright’s path changed entirely when he performed at a local restaurant.
“In December 1982, the assistant parish priest, Fr Dennis Crameri, came into the restaurant where I was playing — the Wyndham Inn — with some youth,” Mr Wright said.
Fr Crameri approached Mr Wright and asked him whether he would be interested in playing at the Sunday mass, but Mr Wright declined, as he didn’t feel it was the right time.
Mr Wright said Fr Crameri kept calling him, asking him to play background music, and eventually, Mr Wright agreed.
“On May 8th, 1983, I came here to play, and what was only supposed to be for a short time ended up being 40 years,” Mr Wright said.
In those four decades, Mr Wright has changed the liturgical music scene, bringing in drums, guitars, keyboards and singers, and even serving as the liturgy chairman of the church.
He also reflected on the hundreds of funerals at which he had played music and noted the sadness he felt while playing at funerals during the pandemic.
“I was only playing for 10 people, and you had other family members watching on FaceTime from the car park,” Mr Wright said.
“It was incredibly sad.”
Despite this, his passion for music and faith has never waned.
St Brendan’s parish priest, Fr Joe Taylor, expressed his gratitude to Mr Wright for his immense contribution to the church.
“I just want to offer my massive thanks to Dale Wright,” Fr Taylor said.
“For him, it’s not a job at all, it’s a ministry, and he leads people in faith; he has a deep faith himself.
“One of our famous saints, St Augustine, said ‘bis orat qui cantat’, which means he or she who sings prays twice, and I think that is a beautiful thing.
“We know how music can lift our souls and our spirits to God, and Dale has done that.”
Fr Taylor also thanked Mr Wright for his deep faith and ministry, enriching and enhancing the faith of others through music.
“On behalf of our whole parish, Shepparton, the whole region, and the diocese I’d like to say thank you,” Fr Taylor said.
A service to celebrate Mr Wright’s 40 years at the organ will be held at St Brendan’s Catholic Church on Sunday at 11am. Fr Crameri will be present at the service.