And just when I begin to consider relocating.

Janet Gorbitz -

Please do not think I am rude for saying this - I really mean no disrespect to you whatsoever - and I apolagize to everyone else if this is not the appropriate forum for this conversation - but is there any reason that you are the contact person for this position?

What I mean is this: many on here, including myself, will be extremely leary of a position for which a lay woman is the contact person (or a lay man for that matter). Why is the pastor not the contact person? By having a job contact individual such as yourself, it seems to suggest that the position will be answering to you; many of us do not see that as an attractive situation. The director of music should answer to the pastor, and in a cathedral, to the bishop as well.

Please do NOT take this as an attack on you. But for me, it does raise a few questions.

PS. Please contact Fr. Mangum for any specific questions about the position.

this seems to be a tempting position. i went to school at nearby centenary college which (at the time) had a very good organ department (2 profs and 10 plus majors-not bad for a school which boasted under a thousand total students.) Now unfortunately theres just one "adjunct" teacher (who im told is very good) and one student.
Also, has shreveport improved as a city? back in the 70s it was a pretty desolate backwater.
I went to church at St. Johns (before the "renovation" and it was a beautiful church where people still kneeled to go to communion (this was back in 1975 or so.)

Janet
thank you so much for your description. I have heard great things comming from your end for some time now. Congrats on all you have done! This truly sounds like a dream position!

Has the incumbent musician been notified that this postion is being advertised? An organist choir master has held a positon at St. John Berchman's Cathedral for many years. Has this musician resigned or been notified that a new person is desired? I would advise caution until the matter of the incumbent music director/organist is resolved with the Cathedral Rector.

Kenneth,

This is a new position, added to the staff in addition to the present organist, I understand.

I've seen the opposite result to chonak's in these cases. The incumbent digs in, refuses to disappear as desired, and the new hire starts looking for another position within 6 months or less.

In helping write the position, was the "incumbent" informed that the position was to be advertised as "Music Director" or Assistant Music Director as you so stated at the beginning of your starting this forum?

Probably better to just contact Fr. Mangum with any questions and/or concerns... rector@sjbcathedral.org

Since I did not start this "gossip" forum and I find the silence in answering my above question to be deafening, I will make up my own mind with God's help and make my escape with this quote for all to ponder:
"The training in singing, to sing in a chorus, is not only an exercise of external listening and of the voice; it is also training for interior listening, listening with the Heart, an exercise in training for life and for peace.".....Pope Benedict XVI

I don't know that the talk here constitutes gossip, really. I'd consider it speculation. :-)

But in any case, it makes perfect sense to ask about concerns directly if one is interested in applying.

Enough, already.

Janetgorbitz posted what we should all take on its face as a perfectly legitimate job opening, replete with the correct contact information.

Beginning with Paix's question, a door of "speculation" regarding the legitimacy of this posting was opened, and so began the swift decline into whispers, hints and allegations that there was something "suspect" about this posting, which to my mind borders on calumny against Janetgorbitz as she was questioned and re-questioned directly and indirectly about why she was involved, what did the incumbent know, etc.

I think we all owe Janet, the rector of the cathedral and the incumbent our apologies for casting such a cloud over what was more likely an innocent exercise in presenting an employment opportunity to what is supposed to be a group of people rooted in charity and patience and committed to the building up of the Church through her liturgy and music.

Not even the AGO or NPM engage in this kind of controversy publicly. Let's raise the bar back up to where it belongs and let this issue drop.

If you're interested in knowing more, contact the parish or find out a way to access the local grapevine, but don't use this forum to do it!

PaixGioiaAmor,

Having just deleted a long, rambling response to your post, let me say that I feel that the comments implied things that did color people's perceptions of the position.

And, for those who made those comments,members of this list will remember those comments and prospective employers in the future may wonder before hiring a person who might voice such comments....so while you may be right that Janet, the rector, or the incumbent may not have been harmed, those who made comments may find themselves slightly scarred.

As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."

"If a job opens in my diocese and I am interested in it, you had better bet that I will ask everyone and anyone who may have some "inside knowledge" of the details what those details are."

The problem, Paix, is that this is not the forum for that. Whether or not such questions constitute "gossip", it's still a wise thing to ask, yes. But the purpose of this forum is not rumors or grilling employers, it's the advancement of sacred music. I fully encourage everyone to do detective work, but this isn't the place for it. Why?

"I don't think any violence was done to Janet, the rector, or the incumbant."

But violence was done to them. These are not abstract people in a hypothetical situation, these are real flesh and blood human beings created by God. The questions asked raised the possibility that someone may have acted in an unethical manner. How are we to speak of our neighbor? Allow me to quote Luther's Small Catechism, which puts it simply and succinctly: "We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, [think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything." At the very least, the comments above fail at the positive requirement to put the best construction on everything. Failing to do so is a sin according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well (I forget the term).

Let me repeat myself: be suspicious. Especially if you have heard something. But do NOT deal with it in a public forum. To do so affects the reputations of real people, and Christ calls us to better behavior with each other.

Mia: in that case, you should ask your priest's permission and post the details with his contact information, and if you like, yours so that people can ask more detailed questions.

Unlike some other forums, we don't have the ability to discuss things privately. That would be a nice feature to have. Unfortunately what we discuss can be viewed by anyone. However, I don't think you can know too much before accepting any position. There are plenty of complaining, unhappy musicians out there who didn't do their homework and ended up in postions for which they are totally unsuited. It happens every day.