Piano plays while priest "sings" parts of mass. Appropriate?

[Matthew_Holford]

We gotta put things in perspective here. The priest is the one ordering something that is against the liturgical documents, however he’s not ordering sacrilege of the Blessed Sacrament. My organist makes his main living through the parish (Weekend Masses, weddings, funerals, etc.). It would be utterly foolish of him to risk his mortgage over something like piano music during the EP.

It is nice to hear a priest giving veiled threats that he would deprive someone of their income for questioning him over liturgical abuses.

Yeah, good luck with that one. Secondly, the pastor can always come up with an official reason for the firing or nonrenewal of contract that has nothing to do with the actual reason.

It is really cheering to hear that a priest would happily cover up an unfair dismissal by lying.

 

[Pregustator]

What you’re describing actually sounds lovely, but, as you say, more theatrical than liturgical.

Of course, alot of what many celebrants do today isn’t allowed or isn’t appropriate, which is both sad and annoying. They turn the sacred liturgy into their own show–in this case, their own little cabaret act–and it becomes about the celebrant and his personal proclivities over the prescriptions of the Church. And I don’t like that.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

It is nice to hear a priest giving veiled threats that he would deprive someone of their income for questioning him over liturgical abuses.

For the love of God, I wasn’t giving veiled threats, I was merely explaining the reality. If an organist refused to do something that the pastor wanted, the pastor most likely would fire or nonrenew the organist.

It is really cheering to hear that a priest would happily cover up an unfair dismissal by lying.

Sorry to inform you that original sin infects priests as well as lay people.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

But, Father, playing an instrument during the EP is still a liturgical abuse no matter what. It is not something to make light of simply because one might not think that it is serious.

Should it happen? Absolutely not. If an organist from a neighboring parish asked me if he should quit the job that is his/her main source of income over it, I’d say absolutely not.

Second, the priest, in my opinion, would also be abusing of his power if he threatened to fire someone simply because that individual does not want to disobey the Church.

Regardless of what you think, bosses in every profession don’t take kindly to employees who don’t do what they are asked.

That would not be justifiable and such a termination would not hold water in a state’s wage and hourly office nor at the Chancery.

Once again, good luck with that. I’m yet to hear of a fired organist who won an appeal. And as long as no civil law is broken the Chancery isn’t going to get involved in internal parish personnel matters.