Let me get this straight. It’s not okay for Catholic clergy to state from the pulpit that people should support the institution of marriage by signing a petition for a constitutional amendment. But it is okay for politicians like Bill Clinton and John Kerry and Jesse Jackson, as well as all the liberal clergy, to get in the pulpit and argue their ideologies.
Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports a one-sided article about an organist and a cantor who were relieved of their duties at a Catholic church in Boston after protesting during Mass against the marriage petition.
As he looked on, said Patrick Kilduff, the church’s organist for 28 years, he grew angry that the archdiocese had chosen a Saturday Mass to make what he considered a political statement.
So before he was supposed to play the closing hymn of the Mass on Oct. 8 , Kilduff walked away from his organ in protest. His cantor, Colleen Bryant, stood in front of the congregation and told them that they did not have to sign the petition if they did not want to.
Bryant was fired and Kilduff resigned.
Organists and cantors are a dime a dozen. Sounds like these two have a calling to be their own Magesteria.
There are 26,000 different denominations calling themselves Christian which can accommodate them.
Maybe the parish will get less David Haas music now.
The man who spoke at the end of the Mass was from Vote On Marriage, not the Archdiocese, as reported. They couldn’t even get that fact right. He is writing a letter to the Globe. I’m sure they’ll publish it <rolling eyes>.
I helped gather signatures there on Sunday and wondered why there was no organ music.
“Organists and cantors are a dime a dozen.”
Perhaps, but not good ones. I know I’m going to miss our cantor/organist when he’s gone.
I agree with the firing, though—especially when she refused to give any guarantee that she wouldn’t do it again. If anyone politicized the pulpit, it was her.
I doubt it. I’m always reading ads for Church musicians. Even when they say, “familiar with both contemporary and traditional church music,” you end up with GIA’s Greatest Hits.
They must need exorcisms.
Isabelle
The good news is, that these two “showed their colors”. I would hope that all those who are in Catholic ministry, *especially* those responsible for catechesis eventually get “outed”.
Fr. Carr is right about the bias in the Globe.
I read the stories of the scandals back in ‘02. They never missed a chance to get their punches in.
Well, I wonder if the cantor thought her fellow MAss goers were intelligent to know they did not need to sign it. That action of hers seems insulting. Of course thye don’t need to sign the petition; they can walk directly past it.
I wish the L.A. Times was as adversarial to the Arch-Diocese of Los Angeles as the Globe is to the Boston Arch-Diocese.
He lost me (seriously) at complaining about the reporter beginning a sentence with a preposition. “gramatically incorrect and improper”? Baloney.
Considering how poorly Father’s own article is written, he should have stuck to the real subject matter.
I disagree with his style quibblings (beginning a sentence with a preposition is not improper grammar), but that is very minor compared to the whole sweep of the piece. And I don’t think you can quibble with his writing; it is a blog entry as opposed to a newspaper article after all.
Dom, you’re right, in a way. On the other hand, he did lose me right there. No matter what else he wrote, no matter how well or poorly, now matter how siginificant or insignificant, it’s all irrelevant to me, because I didn’t read any further.
Like you, I’m sure, I read an awful lot, and I have to choose what to read and (almost as important) what to not read or stop reading. If the presentation is poor, and the substance of it begins with an irrelevant and ridiculous complaint, I’m gone. Life is too short…………
The idea that a cantor or organist would comment in church on any aspect of the mass or the announcements made afterwards is incredible. Even if I agreed with their point (which, suffice it to say, I absolutely do not), I would not think it appropriate to comment until afterwards. I have asked to speak with priests on numerous occasions after mass because of one or another egregious liturgical irregularity (on the working premise that if they know that young people notice and care, they may be better inclined to amend their ways), but for anyone to do so in such a public forum is beyond the pale…