I sang for the Protestants for years as a soprano soloist. Later when I decided to quit singing for the Protestants and sing at my current parish (great music liturgy) I was offered a Temple job on Friday evenings. My pastor said it was alright. If you are a musician you need to make money at your craft. That means Church jobs. As long as your wife does not take communion with them and fulfills her Sunday obligation there should be no problem.

My bishop has a weekly radio program where he answers questions from listeners, and he was once asked if a Catholic organist could substitute at a Protestant church. The bishop said yes, that is fine, and that it would be a nice ecumenical gesture. Obviously, a Catholic cannot receive communion there. I substituted at a UCC church several years ago, and had a slightly awkward experience when communion time came, so I'd advise making sure they understand before the service that you will not be receiving.

As Charles has said...you will find great satisfaction in the admiration that you will find there for musicians, much as opera singers and conductors find when spending time in Italy and even Germany.

How is the situation you describe here different from Asissi?

Chonak!!!! CHONAK!!!!

Exactly. If your pastor says permission is not needed, it's no big deal...it's time to find a CATHOLIC pastor.

Purely as an aside, when a pastor is asked to hear a confession of someone who has not confessed for 27 years, the correct response is not: "I'm in the confessional on Friday mornings."

Chonak's reading seems to suggest that it's "more OK" to participate musically at evangelical or otherwise "less Catholic" churches than at a Methodist or Episcopal church that celebrates a weekly Sunday service with communion.

Maybe this is the right reading, but it seems like a strange position for the Church to take.

It is also wise to understand what heresy is. We don't want to act out of ignorance being Catholic musicians.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07256b.htm

If only Catholics did nothing but chants.

Did anyone else ever notice that when someone doesn't like something, it's "nothing but"? Nothing but chant, nothing but folk, nothing but broccoli... Just interesting.

Why shouldn't one play for Protestant services. Really! Why Not?
Doing so is an education in tolerance, a strengthening of one's own faith, growth through respect of others, and a chance to grow as a professional church musician which few Catholics have. AND, I think it was Gavin who said it: you get to play some real Catholic music (which the Protestants [unlike the Catholics] consider a badge of honour).
I played for an historic Lutheran Church (LCMS) for seventeen years, first as an Episcopalian, then as a Catholic. Wonderfull music and instrument and choir and people. I did a gamut of music there which I could not have done in the Catholic Church because it was too Catholic. All the while I tried to nudge them into classical Lutheranism, the best thing they could have been: conscious of their Catholic heritage. This was not a total succes, but the legacy of it is still there. I was wondrously enriched by this experience and so were those whom I served. And the Pastor was one of the most loving and Christ-like clergyman whom I have ever known, Catholic or Anglican. In a very real sense Protestants strive to be Good Christians. Catholics strive to be good Catholics. These are very different things, the result of which yields people who put a very high premium on living a beautifully Christian life, while Catholics (who DO raise up there own store of saints), concentrate more on following the rules and fulfulling their liturgical 'obligations', and are largely unconcerned with whether or not they are a 'Christian' person. They just have to be Catholic. Most Catholics whom I really know do not fall into this mold, but still, there is an undercurrent which takes its toll.

I know of MANY Lutheran churches (all Missouri Synod) which, as a matter of policy, will only hire Lutheran musicians. Their musical culture is stagnant and dead. Their musicians are hacks. And yet, I know many Lutheran musicians who are very talented and play for Lutheran churches - not because they restricted their pool of potential employees, but because they wanted to hire the best.

Interestingly, some of the most stagnant of the restrictive parishes are trying to enhance their liturgy with the Gregorian tradition. But they still won't let a Catholic get involved. The result is, in a word.... sad.

And I personally know of Missouri Synod Lutheran churches that have indeed hired non-Lutheran musicians. As a case in point closest to me, an excellent rather high-church Episcopalian friend of mine was the organist at a LCMS church across the river in Minnesota for quite some time, and I often played oboe (descants and such) and sang with her there. Her husband is a Lutheran (and a trumpet player and baritone) and was active in that church. It would be both an insult and very far from true to describe them as hacks.

They sometimes played at the Episcopal church where I was choir director for awhile, and she played at the funeral for my father-in-law at the local Catholic church, which otherwise would not have had any decent music at all (I was the only singer/cantor). Interestingly enough, they left the LCMS church about a year ago because of church politics there and her having to deal with some serious health issues. No one there thought she was an Episcopalian or I a Catholic, although we were treated most warmly and cordially, especially by the clergy and other musicians there.

Chuck

I've had very happy experiences playing for LCMS churches myself, both as a sub and and interim organist, so Gavin can only be describing a local situation.

You are, of course, right, Chonak -
My identity as a practicing Anglican, then as a practicing Catholic, was known and respected amongst the wonderful Lutherans whom I served. And, they knew that I respected their heritage (more than some of them did).
There was a funny incident once: I had been to lunch with a teacher who was new to this congregation, and as we were getting out of my car she said huffily: 'You can fool some people, Jackson, but you can't fool me'. When I asked what she was upset about she said that she had seen the Book of Common Prayer on the back seat of my car... and I said, 'Oh that! Yes, I'm Episcopalian... everybody knows that'. Gavin is right, though: as a rule Lutherans (especially MS) will only consider Lutherans to be their musicians. It is noteworthy, too, that the choirmaster of a prominent Lutheran church (ELCA) here (home to Houston's acclaimed and European-travelled Bach Society [which he also directs]) is Catholic.

hahaha lol

I'd hoped it was clear that I referred only to a majority of churches I had run across (in the state 2nd most heavily populated by Lutherans), and did not intend to make any statements about the whole LCMS. In fact, one Lutheran friend told me that many of the Lutherans with whom I associated were "very, very strange" and not at all representative of most Lutherans. So take it as one experience.

My larger point is regarding the stifling of the musical culture in these churches. Interestingly, I know of one such church that has a thriving music program, with an extremely devout Lutheran organist (with a very strong Marian devotion, also...) Very strict Lutheran parish, but I recall how the organist and I spoke vigorously about Gregorian chant in an "ecumenical dialog" of sorts.

I'm concerned about a musical culture that turns inward and suffocates itself. It happened in the Catholic church, and the result was Glory & Praise. I don't want to see it happen again.

Gavin:

The musical culture did not 'turn inward and suffocate itself'. The "faithful" (well, at least those who were in leadership) wandered off into the wilderness of their own imaginings (G&P) and left the source of oxygen (authentic liturgy and music) and suffocated. That is why most RC churches are lifeless, have no vocations, and the reform is strongly afoot! We're headed back to clean air, boys and girls!

My brother is a monk at Westminster Abbey, Mission BC, Canada. It’s a Benedictine monastery west of Vancouver. Check it out! Wonderful music and chant. Reverent!
http://westminsterabbey.ca/

I sometimes play at Protestant services. During things like Offertories, or before the service starts I often play pieces of plainchant. Sometimes people come and ask what I played and I am happy to tell them, and that they can hear it sung at the local RC cathedral.

Catholic here, have only worked in Protestant churches since I answered my calling to church music ministry five years ago. This wasn’t by choice, it was simply what was available at the time. The director I worked with in my first position was also Catholic. We were at a Presbyterian church. Now I am a music director for a United Methodist church. They are a good deal more curious about me than the Presbyterians and ask lots of questions sometimes, which I think is a good thing. Maybe they’ll come and check out a Mass one day. Would a Catholic position be ideal? Yes. Is one always available where I live? Rarely-and pay is usually much lower.

I don’t have much to compare them to, except my previous position and my late grandmother’s Free Methodist church where I was brought up. I don’t know the difference between the free Methodists and the United Methodists (latter is church I work at now).
My Methodists place a high priority on their liturgy. The traditionally Baptist hymns that have found their way into just about every hymnal of every denomination are not welcome there-No escapist hymns (When We All Get To Heaven, Ill Fly Away, etc), they also don’t like “blood” hymns either (Rock of Ages, Nothing But The Blood, etc). The reason was explained to me but I don’t recall exactly why these texts aren’t used in the Methodist church. There were similar complaints about such hymns at the Presbyterian church but the pastor there ignored them and chose a lot of Baptist hymns. (Not surprisingly, I’ve heard they may be considering a change to “non denominational”-mainly because of the dire financial problems and hope of keeping their doors open). Back to the Methodists. They follow the liturgical year (Presbyterian church didn’t), Gospel readings every week are the same as they are for us Catholics (nice when I am unable to attend Mass-I don’t feel totally out of the loop).
The church has been in the same location for almost 100 years, but the old building was beyond repair and they built a new one about 15 years ago. It was a rush job, so I was told, and many things went unplanned or unaccounted for, including an organ. The current pastor is new and young, and very much interested in restoring some traditional things that have been lost. I just got word from my aunt, who still attends my childhood church, that they are no longer using their organ and their “hipster” pastor (who apparently had all of the old pews removed and started a “worship team”) wants to sell it. I am hopeful that something good will come from this, and it would be lovely to have the instrument that had such a profound impact on me as a child. (Dear old Ruth, you couldn’t imagine what my Grandmother’s church has turned into now! God as my witness I will not allow anyone to destroy your organ.)
It’s not a huge church, average attendance is around 125-150 every Sunday, more for holidays of course. Dressy “Sunday” attire is expected, they don’t do “casual” church-and you’ll hear about it if someone thinks you aren’t dressed well enough. My choir isn’t enormous either, 21 if everyone is able to be there, but we average 16-18 right now. All volunteer, and quite good for such a group. They are very motivated, capable, and continuously strive to improve. I would say that the liturgy is in transition at this church. The congregation wants it to be better, and now they have a pastor and music director who are invested in making that happen. Does that always go over as well as it sounds here? *spits out coffee*....Of course not. For as much as they want better liturgy, they are deathly afraid of even the tiniest changes.
We aren’t high church in the way you are accustomed to it. We aren’t located in a big city, we don’t have a fancy name, just “Name of Town First United Methodist Church”. But we are doing a lot better than our more “modern” neighbors. They’ve taken in several new members recently who left the local non-denom “mega” churches because they wanted a “real church experience”. I guess it’s a start.

I played for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Lovely people, but not growing much. Their oldest church in town closed recently because the congregation had shrunk to 50 or so. That building seated 6-700 people and was tagged as a historic piece of architecture. No sheep stealing going on there. I played for chapels at the Baptist university where I studied music. Those were assigned to different musicians each week so I played and never felt part of the congregation. It was like going to another class. Catholics are not over 5% of the population here to begin with.

@matthewj: If someone shows up at work and is a Catholic thinking about becoming Methodist:
1. They aren’t going to tell the choir director all about their spiritual crisis.
2. If in the impossible circumstance they do and they’re talking to me, I would have NO problem pulling them aside or giving my number to speak with them later on and hopefully change their mind about their silly idea.
3. I have no problem with getting on my boss’s craplist or getting fired for #2. They knew I was Catholic when they hired me.
4. I don’t control people. I only have control over my own actions and decisions. I don’t think “gee I bet THIS will really make our guests want to become Methodist!” every time I program a hymn or anthem. They will choose that on their own and I have nothing and want nothing to do with it.
So yeah, I don’t have any conflict of interest. It’s a calling (no matter what denomination I happen to work for), but it’s also a job. I didn’t stop being Catholic when I worked at a country club, and I didn’t stop being Catholic when I started working at Protestant music jobs. My identity is not, and never will be (unless I really go off the rails and turn to drug dealing or prostitution) tied to where I work.

Protestant chuches tend to leave Catholics and others working for them alone, after all, they were not able to find someone of their faith the play or direct, so that are happy to have you.

Sad to say, it's the norm and not unusual at all.

I don't think God would require me to assist at false worship to support my family, so therefore I never have (and never will) believe that someday I might need to.

There is a marked difference between false worship (eg wicca, paganism, flying spaghetti monster, Sunday-assembly) and your average Presbyterian / Methodist / Lutheran church-service!

The latter may not enjoy the fullness of the Christian truth. But they clearly have at least a good dollop of it, especially when compared to some of the options out there.

If the Catholic church regards baptism in a particular church as valid (and therefore not repeated if the person later becomes Catholic), then I'd see no difficulty in serving that church's worship - whether by working as an electrician / plumber / carpenter on their build, as a secretary in their office, or as a musician in their sanctuary.