Catholic Sensibility

Road Trip! Small Catholic parish of 3500 families seeks an organist/cantor/music director. Qualifications: Must accept the whims of the pastor as being of primary importance. As for weddings, the organist must be guided by the bride's favorite CD of the Three Tenors; forget that nonsense about musical "integrity." Duties: The organist plays the following masses: Saturdays 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, and 7:00 PM.; and Sundays 6:00 AM, 7:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 9:00 AM, Latin Mass at 10:00 AM, Spanish Mass at 11:00 AM, Polish Mass at 12:00 noon, Gaelic Mass at 1:00 PM, and the 3:00 PM Hootenanny Mass. The 8:00 PM Bingo Mass is optional. Weekday Masses, Novenas, devotions, and rosaries from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM expected. The organist is responsible for all holy days, weddings, funerals, baptisms, confessions, etc. (without extra compensation, of course). The organist will also be responsible for teaching music in the parish school and accepting the liturgical plans of the teachers for weekly school Masses. The organist also directs the Palestrina Choir (five old ladies and one old man) and the Schola Guitarorum. Organ: four-manual, 135-rank, 1925 E. M. Skinner organ. This instrument has needed re-leathering since 1954 and will be operable once we get the funds. The organ maintenance fund, begun in 1957, now has $16.59. Until the remaining $249,933.41 is raised, the organist can utilize the Baldwin FunMachine in the rear gallery. Compensation: Based on education, experience, and the success of the parish car raffle. It was sixteen years ago this month when I went on my first interview trek. Thankfully not for the job listing above (mostly courtesy of Charles May of Atlanta GA). With a newly minted MA in Systematic theology, I had focused on applying at parishes seeking a liturgist without "organist" included in the job title or description. Looking back, it seems rather funny. Since my bicycle wasn't going to get me far, and my mother wasn't keen on my plan to bus to Chicago, then rent a car there, she persuaded Dad to loan me his second car (the one with an oil leak that needed refilling every 600 miles). So I headed out west on I-90 bound for Chicago. When I called home, Mom told me she took a call from a Chicago parish that wanted to see me later in the week. Okay. I had planned after the Chicago-Twin Cities jaunt to drive home via the Upper Peninsula, visit a school friend in Michigan, and return via Canada. Guess sightseeing would wait for my first vacation next summer. The first interview went well; the pastor actually auditioned me in church on voice, guitar, and piano. Out of ten or so interviews that season, that was the only one which included an audition. That's typical, sad to say. Drove to Minneapolis for three interesting encounters. In the first, the associate pastor sat with his arms folded and a glum look on his face while the liturgy committee asked all the questions. Number two was Jeanne Cotter's parish she was leaving to get married to David Haas. Only spoke to the priest there; no committee formed yet. That would have been big shoes to fill. Then I had an excellent interview on the other end of the metro area. Had the people eating out of my hand. I felt they were almost going to offer the job to me right there. Then the small matter of playing the organ came up. Their ad said "Parish Director of Liturgy," and actually mentioned directing the choirs, not accompanying them too. I felt embarassed for them, not being more accurate in their publicity. Returned to Chicago the next day to visit a city parish on the southside. Went home. Got no offers. None from any place I wanted to work. I applied for one job in my hometown, and rather than hire me, they decided to leave the position vacant. So you understand I felt little loyalty to my own diocese of Rochester. By the end of June, I was pretty discouraged, but I had a plan B. Spoke to my thesis advisor about getting into the MDiv program at St Bernard's. That would be cool. I could keep my job at WXXI and maybe this certain promising relationship I had would not be ending after all. Then out of the blue, Fr. Audition called to offer me the job. It was the 26th of June. Could I start in five days? Eep. I had signed on for extra holiday shifts at the station to spell the regular announcers. I had no car. After a night of prayer, I called the priest back. "Could you give me two weeks to take care of business," I asked. And so the pilgrimage began.