G
gwenred
Guest
Hi, and thanks for reading my question. I am a practicing Catholic, but over the years have assisted as an organist at a variety of churches, both Catholic and protestant. I always fulfill my Sunday obligation and attend Mass during the weekend with my family, in addition to any services I may provide to another church.
I have no problem of conscience when I play on a substitute basis for any church, any denomination. When I have played as a regular organist for protestant churches, though, I inevitably leave within a year or two because I begin to question whether I really should be fulfilling a musician role week after week for a church that I really cannot be fully commit to in faith. I know many organists who are able to do this, and they seem to have no problem with it - wherever they can find a musically-satisfying position with a salary they are comfortable with, they are fine regardless of the denomination. It never works for me, though!
I realize that if I am not comfortable, I need to make the personal choice to avoid this situation. It is frustrating, though, because too frequently, the jobs that actually pay a reasonable salary AND actually appreciate good sacred music are usually the protestant ones! So my question is, am I simply overthinking things, and would it would be OK to work for a Protestant church so long as I never misrepresent myself as anything other than Catholic AND continue to fulfill my Catholic obligations, or is there a concrete magisterial reason why I should not accept such a position?
Thanks!
I have no problem of conscience when I play on a substitute basis for any church, any denomination. When I have played as a regular organist for protestant churches, though, I inevitably leave within a year or two because I begin to question whether I really should be fulfilling a musician role week after week for a church that I really cannot be fully commit to in faith. I know many organists who are able to do this, and they seem to have no problem with it - wherever they can find a musically-satisfying position with a salary they are comfortable with, they are fine regardless of the denomination. It never works for me, though!
I realize that if I am not comfortable, I need to make the personal choice to avoid this situation. It is frustrating, though, because too frequently, the jobs that actually pay a reasonable salary AND actually appreciate good sacred music are usually the protestant ones! So my question is, am I simply overthinking things, and would it would be OK to work for a Protestant church so long as I never misrepresent myself as anything other than Catholic AND continue to fulfill my Catholic obligations, or is there a concrete magisterial reason why I should not accept such a position?
Thanks!