Diocese of Oakland CA - Job Opportunities
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    http://www.oakdiocese.org
    Job Opportunities
    Parishes

    Must be that time of year ...
    St. Jerome Church, El Cerrito – Director of Music/Pianist
    Immaculate Heart of Mary, Brentwood - Music Director II
    St. Ignatius, Antioch - Director of Music/Organist

    Update:
    http://stjeromeec.org/documents/Parish Bulletin 09-0607.pdf
    St Jerome -- Director of Music Ministry/Pianist -- Job Announcement
    St Jerome Church is seeking a Director of Music Ministry. The position is
    part-time at 20 hours weekly. The director is responsible for planning and
    coordinating the music for four liturgies each weekend, holy days, weddings,
    and funerals. Responsibilities also include children and adult choirs and
    training and scheduling cantors. Applicants must be proficient in playing
    piano and must have training/experience in liturgical music. The position
    is M-3 according to the guidelines in the Oakland Diocese Personnel Policies
    (Appendix E). Please send applications and resumes to:
    Fr Dante Tamayo, 308 Carmel Ave, El Cerrito CA 94530 or by email at saintjeromechurch@comcast.net

    Update:
    http://www.oakdiocese.org
    Online Publications and Forms
    Chancery/Parish Personnel Policies
    Appendix E
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    I was at neighbor parish to St. Jerome's, St. John Baptist in El Cerrito, for a decade. St. Jerome's is in a lovely, elevated area of the East Bay/W. Contra Costa hills next to Berkeley. Lovely little church.
  • JDE
    Posts: 588
    But they use piano instead of organ?

    Not that I mind so much, because when you're only singing a capella it doesn't really matter which instrument you're not using.
  • More information:

    - Director of Music/Pianist – St. Jerome Church in El Cerrito

    St. Jerome Church in El Cerrito is seeking a Director of Music Ministry. The position is part-time at 20 hours weekly, without benefits. The director is responsible for four liturgies each weekend, holy days, weddings, and funerals. Responsibilities also include children and adult choirs and training and scheduling cantors. Applicants must be proficient in playing piano and must have training/experience in liturgical music.

    Please send applications and resumes to

    Fr. Dante Tamayo, 308 Carmel Avenue, El Cerrito , CA 94530
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    Sounds more like full-time work to me. Maybe it's only the pay and benefits that are half. ;-)
  • Too bad about the piano: definitely not an appropriate instrument for the liturgy.
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    Four Masses a weekend, plus Holy Days? Choir rehearsals on multiple nights?
    Fr. Tamayo ought to consult Fr. Osuna (if he's still in residence there) or Keyes about the likelihood of finding ANYONE willing to fulfill those in this economy with the bountiful salaries the Church is known for over the centuries, and w/out benefits.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    Exactly! Get the good father a copy of Leo XIII”s Rerum Novarum and explain the concept of a living wage to him.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    The 20 hours is unrealistic: what about practice time?
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    We had a part time position before our current MD. We had to change it to a full time position with benefit, because we couldn't find anyone. Took a long time to have a music director.
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    Musical Chairs Part One ...

    Saint Jerome Church (El Cerrito) -- FILLED
    http://stjeromeec.org/documents/Parish Bulletin 09-0712.pdf
    New Music Director
    Jesus Mercado or JM as he is fondly called is our new music director. He starts
    assuming the part time position during this weekend. JM is equipped with great
    qualifications and highly recommended by the panel of interviewers to whom I am
    greatly indebted. Our panel of interviewers includes Deacon Ben, Bob Guisti,
    Homer Teng and Yolanda Hogan. Thank you so much for your time and hard work.
    To all our cantors and some members of the choir who sang in all the masses while
    we were looking for a new music director, thank you so much for your dedication
    and for your loyalty to the parish. JM, welcome aboard.

    Update:
    The "JM" is short for "Jose Maria".
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    Musical Chairs Part Two ...

    Saint John the Baptist Church (El Cerrito) -- OPEN
    http://saintjohnthebaptistchurch.org/files/2009/07/07-05-09.pdf
    We Need Choir Directors
    J.M. Mercado, our choir director for the last
    four years, is leaving to become musical director at
    St Jerome's Church.
    We thank J.M. for his service and wish him
    well in his new undertaking.
    Meanwhile, we are inviting applicants for
    Sunday choir directors at St John's. We could use a
    cantor at the 8 am Mass,
    children's choir director at the 9:30 am Mass
    and adult choir director at the 11 am
    and at the 12:30 Mass.
    To inquire, please contact our Business Manager
    Mary Asuncion at 510-232-5659
    or e-mail her at maasuncion@sbcglobal.net
  • I was DM at St. John the Baptist for about a decade before moving to Central California. It is situated on one of the East Bay's most long-lived artery boulevards that runs from Oakland to the upper bay docks. The parish was then and even moreso now incredibly diverse and welcoming. There have been a number of amazing choir directors; there have been chant scholas sprinkled a couple of times in the succession of DM's, and one of my predecessors, Juan Pedro Gaffney founded a coro out of Mission Dolores that mined the deep resevoirs of colonial post conquistion polyphony in the New World. Wendy founded the childrens' choir during our time; I'm glad to know it has continued. Back in the day, we would sing Distler's "Surely, by His stripes we were healed" on Good Friday, and Mozart's "Regina Coeli" on Easter Day, or Vivaldi's "Gloria" among many Christmas concerts, with an occasional Buxtehude cantata. It was a wonderful place to work. Our parish choir was the first non-cathedral choir to sing an ordination at the then St. Francis de Sales Cathedral for Fr. Leo Edgerly, Jr., pastor of Corpus Christi now in Piedmont/Oakland.
    Last year, Wendy and I visited for the first time in 21 years. The renovation was energizing, perhaps typical for what one might expect in Oakland. The stations are original paintings using different media (oil, water, tempura, etc.) all done by parish artists. I'll put some pictures we took of the nave/sanctuary on my blog ASAP.
    The pastor, Fr. John Maxwell, is a wonderful priest. He has two brothers in my current parish and he recently presided here for one of his sister in law's funeral, and his other brother's golden anniversary. He has serious health issues, but he is a wonderful man.
    My memories are so fond of our time there (our three daughters went to the parish school until we moved) that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this parish for anyone wanting access to the greater SF/Oakland environs.
  • Only five photos available, but they're up at:
    http://musicgiftofgod.blogspot.com/
    I ask, you should view them there, that should you want to offer critical observations that could, in any way, reflect uncharitably upon this parish- please post those comments at my blog and not in this forum. They are not responsible for the display of their church in this public forum, I am.
    Thank you.