Be sure to be grateful if you get to play for Christmas
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,890
    Well Lads and Lasses,
    It happened to me.

    Last week my son came home from school with Covid. My wife and I remained healthy for 9 full days of live-in exposure, much to our amazement. (I'm told the overwhelming majority of people who become sick do so within 4-5 days.) My son has been totally recovered since Wednesday (his sickness only manifested as a slight cold with low-grade fever; nothing severe, thank God), so it was looking like I could still play for Christmas. I was tested on Wednesday and still showed negative, even after a full week of exposure. Sadly, last night my wife came down with a fever and body aches. I still feel fine, but that means another active case in the house, so now I can't play for Christmas and there's no time to find a substitute. Even if I feel fine I don't want to turn into a Typhoid Mary.

    It appears that 2 of 3 masses will be totally silent, and Midnight mass will have a small schola just singing the old standards, squeaking out as much harmony as they can muster a cappella sans their leader. Seems a fitting way to polish off the turd that has been 2020.

    Now I also have no idea what will happen for the solemnity on the 1st, our patronal feast day of St. John which will supplant N.O. epiphany, and the solemn TLM I was supposed to direct on Jan. 6 for the traditional date of Epiphany. What a mess. What a mess...

    All this to say, apart from appreciating your prayers (especially for my wife and 5 week old daughter), please remember to say a prayer of sincere gratitude to our Lord if you are able to play/direct/attend a Christmas Mass. It is a blessing that should not be forgotten.
    Thanked by 10Anna_Bendiksen M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen PaxMelodious Joseph Michael marymezzo Carol sdtalley3 Elmar Randolph Nichols
  • Anna_BendiksenAnna_Bendiksen
    Posts: 244
    @ServiamScores, I am so sorry to hear this. Prayers ascending from here.
    Thanked by 1ServiamScores
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,325
    Very sorry to hear of the illnesses in your family, Serviam. What a wretched year.

    Just for the record, the patronal feast of a church (Solemnity of the Title of One's Own Church) should not supplant the Epiphany.

    TABLE OF LITURGICAL DAYS
    ACCORDING TO THEIR ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
    Universal Norms for the Liturgical Year and the General Roman Calendar, no. 59 and Ceremonial of Bishops, Appendix II
    I
    1. The Paschal Triduum of the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord.
    2. The Nativity of the Lord, the Epiphany, the Ascension, and Pentecost.
    Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter.
    Ash Wednesday.
    Weekdays of Holy Week from Monday up to and including Thursday.
    Days within the Octave of Easter.
    3. Solemnities inscribed in the General Calendar, whether of the Lord, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or of
    the Saints.
    The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.
    4. Proper Solemnities, namely:
    a.) The Solemnity of the principal Patron of the place, city, or state.
    b.) The Solemnity of the dedication and of the anniversary of the dedication of one’s own church.
    c.) The Solemnity of the Title of one’s own church.
    d.) The Solemnity either of the Title
    or of the Founder
    or of the principal Patron of an Order or Congregation.
  • Nathan_the_Organist
    Posts: 440
    Sorry to hear that Serviam. I've been on quarantine since December 3 due to being a household contact. I have so missed playing for Advent masses and I can only imagine how much worse it must be for you missing Christmas. My sympathies and prayers go out to you.
    Thanked by 1ServiamScores
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    @Irishtenor

    That is a mistake, the Feast of St. John falls on the Sunday within the Octave (Is it called the Holy family in the N.O.?) The Epiphany is on the 6th.
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,890
    Tomjaw, this is indeed what I meant. I muddled my memory. It supplants Holy Family / Holy Innocents on the 27th.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • PaxMelodious
    Posts: 442
    ServiamScores - prayers for you and your family's recovery.

    What you are experiencing is my biggest concern with the "one expert musician" model of parish music. While it certainly lets the parish experience higher-quality music, it means that everything hangs on that one person. If they get sick, or have family difficulties or fall into a sinful situation which is severe - everything stops. IMHO this is an acceptable risk for secular musical endeavours, but for public worship we should do far better.
  • Carol
    Posts: 856
    Prayers for the health of your whole family. Thanks for the reminder to be grateful!
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    SS, prayers for you and your family.
  • sdtalley3sdtalley3
    Posts: 263
    Serviam,

    I know or have an idea how much this must affect you. I had to throw in the towel on being an organist because my job requires me to travel extensively. I can still fill in if they ask me to, and I happen to be home. The only thing that brings me a some sense of fulfillment is vocal composition. Myself and family will pray for the speedy recovery of your household. Don't lose heart even in these trying times, continue to keep up the good work in the areas you can, like your YouTube channel, and eventually all this will pass by the grace of God.
  • trentonjconn
    Posts: 623
    I just got word from my pastor that singing, after being permitted in the parish since toward the end of summer, is being suspended at the parish, effective immediately. I'm glad I'll get to go to Mass still, but very sad indeed that the schola won't get to sing and that Mass will have to be a read Mass. I'll be playing organ during liturgical "downtime." I may have to sneak off to the local Ordinariate parish for Midnight Mass to get my sung Mass fix...
    Thanked by 2tomjaw M. Jackson Osborn
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,782
    @trentonjconn

    When we had Mass removed, we kept the choir together by singing Vespers and Compline every Sunday... We have been singing since the Sunday Mass came back July?, and with full choir since September.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen marymezzo
  • Jehan_Boutte
    Posts: 264
    @ServiamScores ,

    You can rest assured of my prayers.
  • Elmar
    Posts: 506
    Last week my son came home from school with Covid. [...] Sadly, last night my wife came down with a fever and body aches.
    My prayers for you, Serviam. This puts my own complaints into perspective...
    please remember to say a prayer of sincere gratitude to our Lord if you are able to play/direct/attend a Christmas Mass. It is a blessing that should not be forgotten
    ... as all my Christmas services / rehearsals have been canceled in the most recent lockdown, but I am in good health as well as my family; we are especially happy that my wife had 'non-urgent' surgery completed in January. She is a high school teacher and almost a quarter of the staff were infected over time, including several severe cases.
    So it boils down to merely missed income (x000$ in 2020) and my offended pride of being 'superfluous' for the rudimentary liturgical music program of the parishes where I usually conduct the choirs, while at the same time parish coucils keep asking for extra gifts because "all" expenses are running undiminished.
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,193
    Prayers for all of you, Serviam.
  • CatherineS
    Posts: 690
    Prayers for you and your family!
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