Working relationships with priests

In Paul Turner's Blog by Paul Turner

Q:  I need some advice. At an upcoming workshop day, my pastor and I are heading a discussion on good working relationships between priest/music director. Are there any books or articles about this huge issue? I have been looking online for some guidance – but I would like to include maybe a couple of books for additional
resources. I may be making it harder than necessary, but I know it is an issue for many musicians.
Thanks for any guidance you can give me.
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A:  This is a great topic, and I think that there are few resources on it. I’ve written a couple of books for priests – one on initiation http://www.wlp.jspaluch.com/7917.htm and one on spirituality http://www.catholicword.com/pastor-at-prayer.html. But neither directly addresses the issue of musicians. Still, if musicians read them, they might get an insight into what priests are thinking.

One of the questions that comes up no matter the topic of lectures I give is, “How do I talk to my priest about this?” I’m convinced that it’s a bigger question than the one that musicians have. Many people in parish ministry are wondering the same thing. You might need to broaden the presentation into topics like “presenting new ideas to the boss,” “offering positive and negative criticism to the boss,” “maintaining healthy relationships” – that sort of thing.