How many parishes in the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Metropolia actualy have Cantors who earn stipends for their services rendered, attend The MCI, (etc.)? Something tells me that such Cantors in the Ruthenian Metropolia are few and in the minority.

I wanted to execute this question as a poll, but polls are disabled on The Kliros Forum.

Ungcsertezs

I personally know of two cantors who regularly receive stipends including Sunday Divine Liturgy. I am not one of them. I have received stipends on a purely voluntary basis for weddings, baptisms and funerals for which I was the cantor. I've never received any stipend for Sunday liturgies though.

Steve Petach
Cantor,
Cathedral of St Mary, Van Nuys

My experience is the same as Steve's, but with the addition of reimbursement for some materials and MCI expenses by the parish for ongoing parish use.

Jim Sprinkle, Cantor
St. Thomas the Apostle BC Church,
Gilbert AZ

My experience is the same as Steve's (lead cantor receives a stipend of some sort, which sometimes is passed on to me when I cover a funeral, Presanctified Liturgy, etc. Also, I pay to attend the MCI, and our parish is small enough that I haven't asked for reimbursement). With an 8-hour drive to Pittsburgh, we don't have many other cantors going, but I might try to arrange some car-pooling from the Binghamtown-Scranton area with fall.

Jeff Mierzejewski
Cantor, Ss. Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church
Endicott, NY

Our parish has had a long history of paying stipends to the primary cantors for services. This has traditionally been two or three people at any given time.

Currently we use the official system and checks are received by mail directly from the chancery office every two months.

The parish also supports education for catechists and other volunteers. Registration for official events is paid by the parish. So far I have paid my own way at the metropolitan cantors institute, but I have no doubt that this would be reimbursed if I asked for it.

When I was growing up in the Manville NJ parish we provided a house for the cantor too. Now he was full time and a real "professor" (graduate of the Uzhorod school).

Steve Puluka
Cantor, Holy Ghost Church Mckees Rocks, PA

Like Steve, the parish where I grew up had a tradition of providing housing for the Cantor - I can remember the house which was adjacent to the Rectory, and those more mature than I remember when the Cantor lived there. "Pro" (the Professor) also assisted with the Catechism classes and directed a choir.

This is the same parish I am now privileged to Cantor in. It is now a mission parish, served for the last 3-4 years by Jesuit priests associated with the University of Scranton and Administered by the Pastor of another parish less than 2 miles away.

I was "recruited" by lay members of the parish to sing when the previous cantor could no longer continue. I served for about 16 months with no compensation. Eventually two parish organizations found out I was not being payed (they all assumed I was since it was the parish norm) and for several months I received a stipend from the organizations.

In time, someone mentioned the situation to the Parish Administrator, and since then I have received a monthly stipend.

Here in the Anthracite region there is a strong tradition of Cantors being paid. I believe it is still the norm, but honestly do not know.

Phil Yevics St. John the Baptist, Ruthenian

Steve,

You cantor at Holy Ghost, but the Archeparchial Chancery pays your salary, or pays your cost for the MCI?

My question is how many paid (by their respective
parishes) cantors exist in the Ruthenian Metropolitan Archeparchial Church (including Passaic, Parma and Van Nuys)? Of those "paid" cantors, how many attend the MCI each year?

Ungcsertezs

Sorry for the confusion, I'll try to be clearer.

The Church pays the stipend from their account, but checks are issued by the chancery. I understand this is the new centralized system for Pittsburgh.

I pay for my attendance at the cantors institute, but I mention that my parish would pay for this too if I asked them. My point is the support would be there if needed.

Thus, Holy Ghost in Mckees Rocks pays our primary cantors. Only one of the current three cantors attend the MCI.

Steve Puluka
Cantor, Holy Ghost Church, Mckees Rocks PA

You may add me to the list of cantors who aren't paid by their parish and who do pay their own way for M.C.I. classes. Expenses for travel are way too expensive to ask for reimbursment in my case. Registration isn't expensive though. Since the Pittsburgh M.C.I. was originally planned around local attendance, I kind of threw a wrench into the works by being a long distance commuter. Most of the M.C.I students are volunteer cantors.

My parish currently has three 'regular' cantors, none of us are regularly paid for Sunday Liturgies. Any stipends earned, from Funerals, Weddings, Baptisms etc are irregular and variable.

It does seem that the number of regular stipend paid (regular Sunday Liturgy) cantors is few. In some ways there is an advantage to being a true volunteer cantor: if you mess up or make big mistakes there isn't money or title at stake.

Though I am a volunteer, I do treat the work and duties of the cantor quite seriously.

Steve Petach
Cantor, Cathedral of St Mary, Van Nuys, CA

Well that's a real shame if only .05-.10% of cantors in the Ruthenian Metropolitan Byzantine Catholic Church are paid for their vocation. Just shows where our priorities are these days.

Ungcsertezs (who's home parish reads 1/4 of the liturgy because our 88 yr. Cantorka has stepped down due to illness and their is no one to step up.)

I think that our priorities probably start at survival, then work outward. A day may come when we have paid cantors, but other concerns, like the shortage of priests loom larger. Shifting demographics also may play a role. The Ruthenians are much smaller than, say, the OCA, though larger than ACROD, and have resource constraints accordingly. (Just thinking out loud, trying to keep the matter in perspective.)

Ung -

I'm not sure where you're getting the .05-.10% that you bemoan. Based on just the response here, we have at least seven stipended cantors (from all over the country); your figures would mean that we have between 7,000 and 14,000 cantors in the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh...

Yours in Christ,

Jeff Mierzejewski

Well, was that a question on the Archeparchial survey? If it wasn't, it should have been. I would hypothesize that there are far more unpaid cantors than paid. How many "attendees" at the MCI are paid cantors, what percentage??

Ungcsertezs

Having been an attendee of the M.C.I classes for the past five years, I don't recall there having been a poll, informal or otherwise, as to the paid/nonpaid status of class participants. I only learned of cantor Steve Puluka's stipend arrangement here on this very forum. It seems we cantors are rather quiet about such matters as there is considerable variability in the matter of stipends from parish to parish.

For the most part, I would hazard a guess that most all cantors do it for a love of the church and the liturgy rather than for the stipend. I'm not saying I wouldn't mind a regular stipend for Sunday Liturgy. I know that in my parish there are several factors that would prevent such from occuring naturally (ie without mandate from the Bishop or Priest).

Ungcertez, you mention that the cantor in your parish is retiring, have you considered being a cantor? The M.C.I is local for you, not expensive (only $50/yr registration). If not, find parishioners who have the desire and support them (in various ways) as a way of keeping the cantor tradition alive. (This is true for EVERY parish in the Metropolia!)

Steve Petach
Cantor, Cathedral of St Mary, Van Nuys, CA

When I'm home visting, I sing and read. When I'm in Pittsburgh, I attend several parishes and also sing. Don't go to MCI, not a fan. Grew up with Slavonic, adjusted to Levkulic settings in English. Will sing where ever I go. Don't like when several parts are read. Don't tell me there are not parishes in the Ruthenian Archeparchy that don't recite the "Creed" because I witness this almost every week.

Ungcsertezs :rolleyes: