Who is your boss?
  • Cantor
    Posts: 84
    For those of you actually employed as music ministers, two questions:

    1) Who is your immediate supervisor?

    2) Are you full-time or part-time?

    ok, a third:

    3) Are you specifically a music director, or do you do music and liturgy? If the latter, how much of your time is spent on “liturgy” that is not music, i.e. do you coordinate EMHCs, lectors, ushers, etc.?

    (Alright, so that’s like 5 questions. My bad.)
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,513
    1) The pastor
    2) Full-time
    3) There are some liturgical things that if I want them to go well, I have to step up and do myself, such as days of recollection for lectors and EMs, LOH, processions and other devotions--anything having to do with real improvements. But on a day-to-day level, volunteers make schedules for lectors and EMs and do basic training, and the office administrator calls in priests for penance services, etc.

    I would guess that individual situations depend on whether a parish is big-budget or small-budget. I'm in suburbia.
  • Michael O'Connor
    Posts: 1,637
    God
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    For my previous job:

    1) the priest

    2) Paid as 1/3 time

    3) Just music, although I was also (for God knows what reason) responsible for creating and printing the leaflets for Mass.
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,206
    1) the Pastor

    2) full-time

    3) Music Director, although I'm a part of the "liturgy staff." I also produce the service leaflets/booklets when they're called for, and deal with copyright permissions for them.
  • PaixGioiaAmorPaixGioiaAmor
    Posts: 1,473
    To respond:

    1) The lay wanna-be priest priestess, which is the reason I'm in the process of finding a new position

    2) Full time

    3) Job title: Director of Music, but I haven't the time to list all the other non music things I do daily.

    Don't put up with this garbage of EVER working for anyone other than the PASTOR. The second they pull this garbage about working for the parish administrator (always a wanna-be priest), redo your resume and start looking.
  • athome
    Posts: 31
    1) Pastor
    2) Full time and then some
    3) Music and Liturgy. I would say about a quarter of my time is spent doing 'liturgy' tasks. At first I was wary about accepting a job that I felt was actually two full time positions (music and liturgy) but I have found that it works to my favor.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    Amen, PaixGaoia!
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,206
    Paix:

    Any time the parish administrator attempts to usurp the Pastor's canonical authority, I'd be speaking to the Pastor first. If he ignores you, time to go over his head to the chancery.

    BTW, my former boss did something very funny. Our "time-off request" forms had two signature approval lines: one for the supervisor, and one for the parish administrator. Every time I submitted a time-off request and put it in the Pastor's box (my supervisor), he'd sign his name on the parish administrator's line. I think it was perhaps one of the most brilliant acts of passive aggression I've ever witnessed, and I chuckled quietly to myself every time it happened.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,985
    1.) I work directly for the pastor.
    2.) I work part-time on church music and teach full-time in the parish school. In other words, I work 7 days a week.
    3.) Music director, choir director, organist and music planner. Fortunately, I don't have to do the non-musical items. There has to be an easier way to make a living. ;-)
  • Cantor
    Posts: 84
    Thank you to everyone for your replies.

    This more or less compounds my frustration, and/or steels my resolve that I may want to move on before too-too long.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,847
    1. pastor
    2. full time
    3.DM/organist - responsible for entire music program, (also composer/arranger), ensembles include elementary youth, junior youth, satb choir, schola cantorum, contempo group, cantors/psalmists, vocal and instrumental soloists.
  • incantuincantu
    Posts: 989
    Only because nobody has said it yet: "My boss is a Jewish carpenter."
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,022
    In a former lifetime, I was in Amway, and had approached a co-worker about it, and he had declined. Some weeks later, he came into work laughing at that bumper sticker - what did it mean!? I explained to him that it was Jesus. (This guy was a real pain anyway!) And he told me: "But Jesus wasn't a carpenter!" My response was:

    Sure he was! That's what his earthly father taught him! It was his "job". But he gave up his job to go and "build a network"!
  • David AndrewDavid Andrew
    Posts: 1,206
    Steve,

    From one former IBO to another, that's duplicatable!
  • ClergetKubiszClergetKubisz
    Posts: 1,912
    1. The Pastor

    2. Part time

    3. Music Director

    I believe for many reasons that the Pastor should have the ultimate administrative authority in the parish: after all, overseeing the activities of his assigned parish is part of his job. Delegation of some or most of that authority to a layperson can very well lead to great political turmoil, although straight up personality conflicts with the Pastor can do that too, but are less likely in my view because there is the accepted view that he has, or should have, ultimate authority in his parish.
  • ClemensRomanusClemensRomanus
    Posts: 1,023
    For my former position:

    1) Pastor
    2) full time
    3) Director of Music and Liturgy, and I spent most of my time, probably 3/4, working on liturgical matters. I'm really into liturgy and liturgiology, so it wasn't awful. I had an "other tasks as assigned" clause in my contract that made it bad, though, as I suddenly and often found myself performing as liaison between feuding factions of the parish. That's when I finally had it.
  • donr
    Posts: 971
    Pastor

    Volunteer

    Director - Seasonal Choir (midnight Mass. Triduum), First Friday evening Mass, Holy Days of Obligation evening Mass. and 8 am Sunday Morning
  • musicman923
    Posts: 239
    The pastor is my boss.

    I'm full time pay.

    Music director/organist as well as choir director for the bench. I take my liturgy very seriously and try to match as close as possible with the liturgy.

    Recently, at the last music ministry meeting, everyone who attended (fellow musicians and a couple choir members) complained about my hymn selections over the last year. That there isn't enough praise and worthy contemporary music happening as well as no more congregation favorites! And how I should also start transposing for the congregation! WRONG! Hymns are written in certain keys to fit the natural human voice!! I'm not going to start transposing every hymn each week- no way!!!!!

    It's not that I don't enjoy praise and worthy contemporary music, It's just very neutral in its messages and one note. Everything is praising God and Hallelujah! While that's not bad, it's not how you build a music ministry, which I'm trying to do despite some fellow music ministries not wanting that! One person stated "it's about getting the congregation singing, not music choices!" Again, WRONG! It's about being liturgically correct in the hopes that the congregation will open the hymnal and sing!! Secondly, at some point in time- eagles wings was new to the congregation and had to be taught as well as mass parts! Now is the time for the parish to be taught new music again and a new set of liturgy with the roman missal changes! People who are pro Haas and Haugen 24/7 and that's the only music to be used- are not liturgically taught and it's sad. There is so much music outside of Haas and Haugen, that is traditional hymns are way better then anything Haas or Haugen will ever write!

    No one would ever tell the priest he's doing his job wrong- so no one should be telling me how do my job. As long as my boss/priest is happy and he signs my paycheck weekly, I've done my job!! :-).
    Thanked by 1hilluminar
  • MaryAnn Carr WilsonMaryAnn Carr Wilson
    Posts: 1,738
    1) Pastor
    2) Part time
    3) Music Director- Pastor is quite clearly in charge of liturgy at my parish. I love this, as I'm free to focus on music. The parish is staffed by FSSP priests, which means I'm working in the EF and the liturgical identity crisis is not so much of an issue. (Unlike other parishes where I served as DM, its not the politics and music direction that takes more work hours; its actual music prep.)
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    1. Director of Administration (also a Deacon)
    2. FT (shared duties w/ school)
    3. Music
  • SamuelDorlaque
    Posts: 318
    1) Pastor
    2) Full-time
    3) Director of Music. As it should be, my pastor is the "director of liturgy." I, however, am
    also responsible for producing the service leaflets. I am responsible for the training of
    cantors, the Solemn Mass Choir & the Parish Festival Choir as well as the supervising and
    assisting of the directors of the Coro, Pueri Cantores, Simbang Gabi & "Anima Christi"
    Choirs. I also train and supervise our high school organ & choral scholars.
  • marajoymarajoy
    Posts: 783
    oh my. I didn't realize at first that this thread is 5 (!) years old, and was about to ask PGA if I could have his job...
  • bkenney27bkenney27
    Posts: 444
    1) Pastor
    2) Full-time... ish. Part time on paper but with Weddings, Funerals, etc, it's full-time.
    3) Director of Music. We actually have a Director of Liturgy.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    1) You're not the Boss of me.
    2) Whatever, whatever.
    3) I do what I want.
    Thanked by 1Andrew Motyka
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,985
    Mrs. Wood, did you hear that?
    Thanked by 1JulieColl
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    Never go to the Chancery.

    You have every right to seek Recourse and meet with the bishop under canon law.

    But, it's professional suicide. Unless a mighty chasm opens in the earth and all the music directors/organists are consumed, you will never be hired again in that diocese. And after the Chancery your only option is to petition Rome for Recourse - and you will never work in the worldwide church again unless...the chasm opens again.
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Ask, in humility and respect for subsidiarity, to go to the Chancery should you feel convicted to witness to the Gospel in contrast to an action that went there before you that you know is in direct opposition to the tenets of the Gospel, the Commandments and the Catechism. Damn professional suicide in that case. Protecting one's employability by a corrupt administration, even tho' you bear no culpability in an unjust decision, sanction or action, is a denial of Christ crucified, died and raised.
    Enough.
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