Huge topic. You are right about widely varying pay, and about bringing down salaries, etc. It would be great if CMAA could come up with salary guidelines, like that of the AGO. But maybe that is beyond our scope, and maybe the AGO is of a reference.

Anyhoo, two different but related things are discussed here. 1) Wedding (or special occasion) and funeral stipends and 2) salaries strictly speaking.

The biggest factor is having a pastor who walks the social justice talk and will sacrifice parish funds appropriately. Ok, so there's few of them out there... And even some of that group will pay less if the musician doesn't insist on getting paid fairly.

So, in the case of (1) stipends, I can tell you I charge $175 to solo or cantor, $250 to conduct a choir. I live in San Diego. The irony is that as CA goes bankrupt, it is still really expensive to live here.

In the case of tragic or otherwise unexpected funerals, I have left it

up to the pastor to let me know if the family really does not have enough means, and I will usually make an exception based on his recommendation. I make sure the family knows that it is a PRIVATE agreement, because I've had the experience in other parishes that when word gets out, other people expect things. I have little tolerance for people being cheap when I see they drive way better cars than me and live in nicer areas, and have huge receptions, etc...

As far as (2) salary goes, I will just say that my salary falls on the low side but still within AGO guidelines, for which I am truly grateful. This figure represents almost 5 times my salary from my first DoM job and over 2 times my salary from the second DoM job. They were all within ten years of eachother.

Some people think musicians are greedy and not deserving of much pay. These are not the people who sweated it out in music school or dumped tons of $ into perfecting their instrument...
In my case, I couldn't choose anymore, and would probably have taken a protestant job out of need. I had three children when I took my current job, and my musician husband's income was so affected by the recession that I couldn't settle. When the pastor said 'AGO guidelines' I listened. I later found out that he was also moved by a column of Jeffrey Tucker's in the Wanderer about fair pay for musicians. Thanks, Jeffrey!

Salary: at the same level as I was earning at the unified school district pay grade, 15 years, MA and 35+ post grad units, when retired in 2005. This includes teaching/liturgical duties at parochial school K-8. Medical/Dental/Vision shared.
No raises or supplemental income/bonuses for additional duties due to merged parishes (4), administration of Liturgical Department. (That's been consistent over 17+years now.) No complaints; just gets busier, and like Sinatra sang:
"That's life...."
Weddings: 175
Funerals: 125 (hardship or personal relationship to bereaved/deceased: 0)

I am payed according to the Ago scale one degree level above my proper one, although this is according to the quarter time figures, when I actually am classified as half. No benefits for part time in my diocese. I find this quite fair, and I live somewhat comfortably on it. I think it's more helpful to define salary in terms of % of budget, which for me is about 6%. Not to mention how very appreciative my congregation is!

For funerals I charge $200, $250 for weddings. This seems a little steep to me, and I'm happy to adjust to circumstances, but I also work in a very affluent area.

One should get paid what he is worth. Only YOU can make that case to the parish-the pastor and the people. Also, if one has children, he should be paid to be able to care for his family more than a single person without those responsibilities. (ducking tomatoes) (I have five... so far!)


Then again, where do we store up our treasures?

I teach in the parish school and receive a smaller salary for my DOM/organist position. Together they are a salary I am happy with. I don't do weddings or funerals for two reasons. I don't have the time, and don't need the money.

Just by the bye, Catholic social teaching says that single persons and married persons should be paid equally. The reason is actually to protect married persons: if they earned more, they might not be hired.

I direct our Chant Schola, and get paid nothing. My guess is that most readers of this forum fall into this classification, but are reluctant to speak up when the topic of money can get so emotional.

My parish has paid for some books (By Flowing Waters, Parish Book of Chant, Liber Cantualis) and photocopies, but everything else is a donation out of my pocket. Including 3 Colloquia.

Some things are worth more than getting paid.

Francis,

So did Pope Pius XI:

In the first place, the worker must be paid a wage sufficient to support him and his family.[46] That the rest of the family should also contribute to the common support, according to the capacity of each, is certainly right, as can be observed especially in the families of farmers, but also in the families of many craftsmen and small shopkeepers. But to abuse the years of childhood and the limited strength of women is grossly wrong. Mothers, concentrating on household duties, should work primarily in the home or in its immediate vicinity. It is an intolerable abuse, and to be abolished at all cost, for mothers on account of the father's low wage to be forced to engage in gainful occupations outside the home to the neglect of their proper cares and duties, especially the training of children. Every effort must therefore be made that fathers of families receive a wage large enough to meet ordinary family needs adequately. But if this cannot always be done under existing circumstances, social justice demands that changes be introduced as soon as possible whereby such a wage will be assured to every adult workingman. It will not be out of place here to render merited praise to all, who with a wise and useful purpose, have tried and tested various ways of adjusting the pay for work to family burdens in such a way that, as these increase, the former may be raised and indeed, if the contingency arises, there may be enough to meet extraordinary needs. (Quadregesimo Anno)

And here's the one you mentioned:
\
Just remuneration for the work of an adult who is responsible for a family means remuneration which will suffice for establishing and properly maintaining a family and for providing security for its future. Such remuneration can be given either through what is called a family wage--that is, a single salary given to the head of the family for his work, sufficient for the needs of the family without the other spouse having to take up gainful employment outside the home--or through other social measures such as family allowances or grants to mothers devoting themselves exclusively to their families. These grants should correspond to the actual needs, that is, to the number of dependents for as long as they are not in a position to assume proper responsibility for their own lives. (JPII Laborem Exercens)

Perhaps the reasoning I mentioned is out there somewhere--it was taught to me once upon a time.

I recall when I subbed once at a Christian Reformed Church. The pastor gave me my check for $35 and said "don't spend it all in one place!" I turned to my girlfriend and said "Let's go to the mall; I'm buying you a cheap belt!"

Bada boom. And "take my wife, please."

I'm not paid. A small sum was offered (about eight hundred a year) but there were strings attached I couldn't accept. I'm happy to remain unpaid. It's a wonderful place to be and I'm blessed to be able to have something small to contribute.

In principle, though, of course there should be just payment for musicians. Also for altar servers, sacristans, and so on ( as well as the clergy, of course). Humble as they are, theirs are the crafts that built western civilization.

The following figures are not necessarily based on my own salary:

A cantor in my area should expect $25 per Mass.

An accompanist in my area should expect $50 per Mass.

A music director in my area should expect $100 per Mass.

Is the cost of living really low in your area?

Based on this Cost of Living calculator, I would say it's a little lower than some places:

Average Annual Pay:
Portland, ME - $30,412.00
Los Angeles, CA - $37,748.00
U.S. City Average - $34,868.00

I'm surprised no one has commented on:

"But to abuse the years of childhood and the limited strength of women is grossly wrong."

MJO is absolutely right, back when this was written women did not work. If they did they were apt to be secretaries, librarians, church organists or nurses, all poorly paid positions.

It makes sense to me that a single person should be provided the means to start a family. It also makes sense that a qualified musician with 8 kids will require a larger salary. The Church asks us to be open to life, and justice would mean that She makes certain provision for this.
Disclaimer- I have two music degrees and am expecting my fourth child, so I may see this differently than an amateur musician who makes a salary in another field,or a single person.

The world has different values than the Kingdom of God as Adam stated. We are in the world but not of it. Couples these days have bought into the values of the world. Two incomes, no children, lots of material wealth. It's not what God intends for married people.

Whether or not that's fair is a toughie- but it is absolutely standard HR policy for companies that offer health insurance: they subsidized the employee's insurance, but not the spouse's (or not to as great an extant).
Since the cost to the employer for providing that insurance at that rate is probably close to $1000 a month, maybe more, it seems like whining to suggest the Diocese isn't doing enough on this point.

Point taken, JDE. There are holy folks that fall outside the norm.

I would only seek to encourage people to continue glorifying God with whatever they possess. Some guys, for example, might have survived awful diseases and still manage to retain great musicianship and stellar voices. Such a man could (hypothetical person here) still be gainfully employed by and contributing to the Church in a rather exemplary way.
Such a man, who has lost much and still works to build the Body of Christ, would be a true inspiration.

The way I see this is that God knows what he is doing. I don't pretend to understand. In fact, I don't even attempt it, because it is crazy-making. But there is some reason why we don't have them, and it may be revealed to me eventually. I think we take pretty good care of our dogs, so I imagine we would also be okay with kids, but that is academic at this point.

MA, thanks for your kind (if hypothetical) words. I do what I can with what I have left. Unfortunately chant is not especially welcome in my parish, at least not among the people with the money, so I am selling them the hot dogs they ordered. All I can say is, thank God for the day job. Without it i would have to depend on the caprices of the clergy for my living, and that is also crazy making.

Standard rate around here is $50 per Mass. Very, very few parishes have FT music directors (even the cathedral director is basically part-time; it wouldn't surprise me if fewer than a half-dozen parishes in the diocese have someone full-time), so I have no clue what their typical salary is. My guess is that it varies wildly, since other lay employees have pretty widely varying salaries.

You are definitely being had. You are being exploited, and this is a sin on somebody's hands.
First, you should check out the salary guidelines of the AGO and assert that you expect to be paid in accord with them. My own estimation, assuming that you are a reasonably good organist who knows what he is doing, is that you should be getting at LEAST $150-200 per liturgy, ditto for weddings, ditto for meeting with their singer(s), etc., ditto for wedding rehearsals (if you play for them) ditto for a choir reherasal and any other liturgy or function for which your services are required. The figure of $150-200 is a minimal one. If your talent is such that your services are more valuable then I would not hesitate to up that to $250-300.
Unless you really, really, depend on the pittance you are being given, you should approach your skinflint priest and tell him the salary you expect if he expects to continue enjoying your services. (Actually, it doesn't seem that he does 'enjoy' your services or he would value them much more highly. [And when he tells you he simply doesn't have the money for it, take note of the next 50 or 100 thousand dollar project he manages to bring off... because he wants it].)

While AGO guidelines are nice, I have recently accepted a job at an old but beautiful inner-city parish...with a weekly collection of less than $3000. There are 4 weekend Masses, and I will be playing for 2 of them. They are NOT going to be paying me 1/10th of the weekly budget...LOL!

We do have to be realistic.

(With the understanding that this is a gorgeous church with an awesome organ that otherwise would not be able to afford *any* music, I have accepted $75 a service...and this includes me singing and picking the songs! It does make me cringe a little, because that's what I was getting paid at my first 2 jobs, when I was still in college. sigh.)

MJO, with respects, most of us guild members know that AGO scale is figured on a mostly NYC basis. It's a little on the high side unless you're in a very dense, urban area.

I agree that one service with choir should be in the $150 range, especially if there is a warm-up. However, seeing as the AGO scale is based on a single (Protestant) service, or the assumption that each service will have totally different repertoire, it doesn't always transfer to the Catholic idiom. My general policy (we have three Masses with organ every weekend) is $150 for the choir Mass, and $100 for the two others (for a total of $350) if the sub is having to prepare the same rep for everything. I know some places can't afford this (we barely can), but I think it's fair. Plus, I expect at least that $$$ of quality music-making.

Salary is more complicated, but if we're serious about working for the Catholic church, it means that at least at this point in time, we will probably be paid 20-30% less for the work we do vs. if we were doing it in a Protestant situation. There are simply much different expectations in my experience.

(MJO, I'm sure your situation is influenced by an Anglican Use parish paying more along ECUSA lines! That said, word on the street [nb: I don't know about Walsingham] is that AU parishes don't always keep the high salary for their musicians that is expected in a similar Episcopalian situation...)

Yeah I like that NPM pay scale a lot... though it tends to favor large suburban parish music directors with lots of Masses and lots of musical groups.

None of us entered this profession-ministry to get rich, did we? And, it may not always be possible, even in a parish with the best intentions but not the best means, to receive what we should. There are, though, some places and people and clergy whose 'compensation' really does amount to exploitation, and no one should submit to pay that is a joke. Exploitation is a sin, and a priest (of all people) should know that. One sure cure for this would be for us to make it impossible to find a musician who will practice his or her craft for less than what we collectively deem appropriate. What, after all, does the parish do if it doesn't wish to pay the plumber his full fee, or the architect, or anyone else? The parish finds the money! doesn't it? In too many cases I have observed that when a priest says he doesn't have the money, what he means is he isn't going to spend the money that he very well does have on liturgy and music.

And, BruceL - I cannot speak for the other Anglican Use parishes, but I do know that at Walsingham we have been conscientious about paying our choirmaster his due. Too, can you elaborate on the 'word on the street' that you cite? Such 'word' may or may not be trustworthy (though it is a fact that all Anglican/Episcopal parishes do not live up to their collective reputation).