Being hired by lay people?
  • albums
    Posts: 1
    An amazing number of reports are coming in of interviews going on without a priest being involved. Lay people are doing the interviews and hiring. At least one priest has admitted that he wants the people to make the decision since the director of music is working for them.
  • Steve CollinsSteve Collins
    Posts: 1,021
    "Working for them!" ??? This priest needs a refresher course in Canon Law 101. HE is responsible TO GOD for everything that happens during his watch.
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,694
    I've interviewed many places over the past 4 years and it's been my experience that the interview process almost always involves both clergy and lay people. There is often a "committee" interview - where one takes questions from a committee that may have members on it that include choir members, random pew-Catholics, other musicians and clergy.

    One of my favorite interviews involved just one priest and his assistant and they were very fun guys... Wish I was there now...

    Another time a priest invited me to dinner with his extended family (sister, brother-in-law, niece, etc...). Then seated me directly across the table from his very, very attractive niece. I'm not sure if this was some sort of test to see if I'd hit on her (or if I wouldn't hit on her?), or just a friendly way to end an interview. I had traveled some distance to get to this interview, so perhaps it was just him not wanting to send me back to my hotel room hungry.

    I think a lot of priests are finding that music directors are... um... "really strange people." (That was my pastoral way of wording it.) So I think a lot of pastors want people to see how the music director is in social situations, around people, and how personable or wacky that person is in such situations.
  • kevinfkevinf
    Posts: 1,183
    Excuse me, but my experience is just the other way around. Priests are the ones who can be "really strange people". I find many of them difficult. Admittedly, musicians are not the easiest people, but the stereotype runs both ways.

    25 years of wisdom behind that statement.
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,605
    People who become priests have abandoned the real world where the idea is to make a lot of money, buy things and retire with lots of toys.

    People who become church musicians have abandoned the real world where the idea is to make a lot of money, buy things and retire with lots of toys.

    It is difficult for most people in the real world with those goals to understand either breed.
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    I think it's a good thing to have both clergy and laity involved. It gives you a sense of the parish, as well as your boss, and the laity can't legitimately complain about someone they hired.
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,694
    "Why wasn't I invited to be on this committee? I would have never hired that person!"

    Laity can always complain.
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