Having professional section leaders allows well-adjusted volunteer singers the opportunity to sing more challenging (and therefore rewarding) choral music, improve their skills beyond what was previously possible, sing with greater confidence and less anxiety, and feel less guilty when unavoidable circumstances keep them away from rehearsals and liturgies. While I can imagine all the negative situations you mention, I've never actually seen them occur in any of the three parishes where I've served with professionals mixed with parish volunteers. Indeed, the older parishioner-singers often dote on the inevitably younger professionals! One of the keys is hiring singers with positive, friendly attitudes: they can't show the slightest contempt or impatience in the presence of the volunteer singers. They can come to me and claim not even to know what the noise coming out of the front side of Ms Cigarette Alto's head (ht/ Fr Phillips of SJCantius) is, but if Ms CA comes to me and says that Miss Marilyn Hornette dissed her, there'll be a rumble.

Handle with kid gloves, pray, and tread carefully. You might ask them what they think about the idea and allow them to be responsible in the decision.

Well, you need them, if you're going to do what you want to do.
I don't know what the state of your men are (because, ahem, none of them were there the Sunday I was, which proves your point), but it seems that's your easier sell. You're doing SAB music. If nobody there has pretensions of tenordom, you could hire a tenor "to fill in the part", or even 2, "so we can do 4-part music". And a bass, to make sure somebody is there. That leaves your women. You'll get a soprano who can be a real section leader, to "help" the other singers with things like tone, blend, and coming in in the right place. Let them know that it's FOR THEM. Then an alto...Amanda could probably do a fine job, but you want somebody else so nobody is talking about nepotism. You're hiring these people gradually so people are getting used to the concept. And they aren't singing solos... until the day comes where there just happens to be a little solo in the anthem, and somebody has to do it, so why not... After people get used to the concept of ringers, you can start having them do things occasionally on their own, maybe during the summer when a lot of your people want to be on vacation....give them ALL a vacation, and let the ringers handle it. And they will set a standard of attendance. It didn't seem that you had a problem with people being AWOL; people have lives and can't be there all the time, but they certainly need to let you know. And if they get in the habit of not letting you know, they need to be gently told that such a contribution is not something you can work with. In any case, if you're going to hire, JUST DO IT. Remember that it's easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.

We had no problem mixing pros and congregants at St. James, but then, the congregants were the minority, and mostly kept up with the pros; with an audience of intellectuals, it would not be otherwise. There was (is) one issue, with a paid singer who had so insinuated himself into the hearts and minds of the community that they couldn't get rid of him, even though his contribution was not of professional quality. Nobody wants to quit paying the guy, because he will run off and pout (and his sister with him). So they waste the money, and put up with the results.

In my experience, choristers love paid singers. Mine clamor for more constantly. I can't say that they're usually well-integrated socially, due to the generational difference, but they love the help.

Abbot. A wiser approach. Good words.

I really do not get why people get so hung up about engaging non-Catholics. I live in an area where the population is less than 2% Catholic. That narrows the talent pool considerably.

The best possible outcome of using a non-Catholic is that the singer experiences sacred music, sings the sacred texts, and experiences first a falling away of the scales from his eyes (because he was previously blinded by prejudice) and then a turning of the heart toward the Church. Even better . . . sometimes those people become extremely zealous, knowledgeable directors of sacred music.

The church has all the money it needs. The people who *want* good music are often willing to pony up for it, especially if they can't sing it themselves (because of limitations of time or skill). I raised $2,000 a couple of years ago with two phone calls to pay for choral scholarships (another approach that often works) before the finance committee torpedoed the idea (for reasons I won't go into).

Thank you Abbot Coel . . . I will save that approach for the next pastor.

Well, JDE, when I started as a paid chorister, I was a Wiccan. I converted, and eventually left the A/Cs to become Roman. Sooo...
My own attitude was sort of "don't ask, don't tell". As long as I was respectful, didn't run down the Church/run up my own religion, and generally "did as the Romans do", I figured that was enough. I still do. All things being equal, I think Catholic churches should hire Catholics. They should also set wages compatible with the social teaching of the Church. All things are seldom equal though.

Jeffrey

What is A/C

tha A/Cs were wiccan?

JQ - exactly my point. After all, why should you be kind only to your brethren? Do not the heathens do as much?

For the psalmist, since they're delivering from the ambo, a Catholic would be way preferable, sure. But if your only available Catholic sounds like a mating frog...

I've never seen an prohibition of anyone from singing in a Catholic choir. However, to the extent that the choir serves a ministerial function (cf. John Paul II's chirograph on sacred music para. 8) one may ask what other ministerial functions during the mass non-Christians may perform. About the only explicit reference I have been able to find is DIRECTORY FOR THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES AND NORMS ON ECUMENISM para 133: "The reading of Scripture during a Eucharistic celebration in the Catholic Church is to be done by members of that Church. On exceptional occasions and for a just cause, the Bishop of the diocese may permit a member of another Church or ecclesial Community to take on the task of reader." The U.S. bishops conference website explains that this reservation of liturgical function probably also includes the General Intercessions (http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/q&a/mass/ncrd.shtml). It is not clear to me why it would be objectionable for a non-Catholic to proclaim the scriptures but permissible for one to perform the ministry of singing in a choir. For a baptized Christian, I could see some wiggle-room, but certainly none for a non-Christian.

When I was in under grad school I inherited a paid section leaders of snooty music students, the best there was, because my predecessor was the Dean of the school. They were actually putting fake 'sacred' words in the bulletin to arias in their repertoire and singing the real aria as offertories in Church. (It was Methodist.) I stopped that, but I couldn't end the attitudes, so I waited to get rid of some of those via graduation and hired new ones. In the next iteration, I looked for people with some understanding of Christian worship first and lovely voices second. I also leaned on the remaining two to do their entire job, which included helping the volunteers in sectional rehearsals. That cut down on the loftier-than-thou attitude quite a bit and built up some relationships that worked. Some of those singers weren't so expert themselves when it came to teaching a bit of vocal production to the amateurs, so the humility factor entered to our good.

I really think that including your choir in the decision is fundamental. How you present it may matter a great deal, but if those folks see themselves as second class citizens, it's not going to work no matter how much logic you have to offer.

The point is well-taken that if you have people who are not living a faithful Catholic life in positions of leadership (and paid at that) what are you really saying? That a gorgeous voice is really more important than the effort to really live out the faith? And you're advertising that each week, especially if the choir is visible. If you don't think that matters, I can tell real stories about it.

I've experienced both the singer-comes-to-God situation and the musician/liturgical leader-drags-everyone-down-to their-level. A lot of discernment is required, but at this point in my life I don't think I'd hire a non-Christian if I could avoid it. Protestant is another matter. I currently have two on my staff. I hope one will consider the swim over the Tiber - the other is pretty set, but both are praying, worshiping people it's a joy to work with, and because they consider music their vocation and are accountable to God, they practice. My worst problem is, in fact, a cradle Catholic, so go figure.

As to the A/C's being Wiccan and all - that may have been a joke, but as a former Episcopalian I can tell you for real that the present Archbishop of Canterbury was inducted into the order of Druids, and saw no problem or conflict with it. Had that happened in America I supposed one could chalk it up to ignorance, but in Britain, where St. Patrick and others had confrontations with the Druids that are well-documented, it was the typical refusal to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the 'way, truth and life' that has resulted in the destruction of the denomination.