That's crazy talk. There needs to be some sort of a budget (not necessarily a large one) for the parish to compensate musicians who cover for you while you are away. This is unequivocally standard practice.

Do you have paid vacation in your contract?

(Save the Liturgy, Save the World)

That includes 2 weekends.

Ah, no. For your 2 paid weeks of vacation (or emergency sick time) it would be professionally unethical to make you pay for your substitute. This is not a grey area at all; B&W. Unethical.

And if they don't, just start looking. I can't even imagine what other insanity there is at such a place.

Chant sung a capella that weekend it is.

Seriously though... Call the HR office at the Chancery and ask if this is acceptable.

Then come to the CMAA Colloquium and go to my lecture and realize that in the future you should have gotten EVERY SINGLE DETAIL POSSIBLE in writing.

Btw, it's probably not a good idea to say, all the people on the musicasacra forum agree with me :).

On the other hand, is there in fact a useful way to "manage up" regarding the industry standard on hr issues?

On the other hand, is there in fact a useful way to "manage up" regarding the industry standard on hr issues?

Maybe AGO or NPM have something in their guidelines about this. Appeal to that as industry standard, even if the rest of the contract looks different than what those organizations suggest, you could say "Look, these things are what's normally expected. We're maybe not in line with this or that, so you could at least throw me a bone with a budget for subs once in awhile." Appeal to that, or just appeal to reason. 2 weeks paid vacation in the contract, if taken consecutively, is going to include 2 weekends. How did they expect to handle those masses? If the director has to pay out of pocket to keep those weekend liturgies covered, then they are not paid vacation.

Ive had to pay a sub for the cantor from my own wage, but the parishes I work for employ enough musicians to cover absences. If you pay, you have total control of the personnel, which might not jibe with the whole fingerprinting protocols in effect.
Anyways, for that kind of money, I'd never take a vacation. Our business offices want have all possibilities covered, so musicians aren't really stuck forking out their own pay to hire subs, while letting the sheriff give the nod to any of your candidates.

Here's a little prayer to help console you through the mess.

"The Choirmaster's Poem"
(anon. 20th century)

The Choirmaster stood at the pearly gates
His face was worn and old,
He stood before the man of fate
For admission to the fold.
"What have you done," St. Peter said
"To gain admission here?"
"I've been a Choirmaster, sir," he said
"For many and many a year."
The pearly gates flew open wide
Saint Peter touched the bell.
"Come in," he said, "and choose your harp
You've had your share of hell."

The parish should pay for subs for your two paid weeks of vacation. It's reasonable to expect that this would include two weekends. If they don't want to pay subs, they go without music those two weeks. Vacation is vacation. Of course, on your end, you need to show that you are reasonable, too, and will not nickel and dime them every time you want to take a random personal day.

I've never had a problem with this. In fact, I rarely use all my vacation time in any calendar year, because the job is so flexible. I hope reasonable minds prevail in your situation.

Be chill. (And get it in writing!)

I have to hearken back to RJC's comment earlier. Forcing any employee to pay for their own substitutes is unheard of and scandalously unethical. That a parish would hold fast to that policy even when it is brought to the leadership's attention would be more than enough for me to start looking for another job. Any place that cannot see the injustice of that policy likely has problems in other areas, too.

A vacation is a vacation: re-creative paid leave from one's work (all of it!). You are being had. Um, perhaps one might suggest that the next time the clergy take a vacation they will be told that it is only for 'office hours' and that they are expected to fulfill their normal mass duties (or else pay any subs out of their own pockets). I wonder just how this would go over!

Paid leave (vacation) with subs paid by the parish is a universal. You should perhaps begin a search for a position within this universe?

I particularly like the comparison to clergy vacation. That's a very good point. And yes, there are plenty of other problems with this particular institution.

Musicians in the average Catholic parish are not employees in the modern sense, but rather indentured servants at best. Some mere slaves.

Situations like this make me somewhat happy that I am currently paid per diem.

But...if you are salaried and get "two weeks vacation," then either the church pays for a sub, or there will be no music. Or.... you could hire the worst organist who is currently unemployed (and from my experience the pool of unemployed organists is already generally pretty terrible ;-) ) and see if next time the church will cough up some more money to get someone "more qualified." ;-)

I am sorry to see that musicians are being treated in this way, Salieri. I don't see the problem with subbing at funerals as long as it doesn't interfere with regular duties. In my area (NYC) many organists supplement their income in this manner and it isn't a problem.