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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

The Church Music Director: Job or Vocation?

Andrew R. Motyka · February 27, 2013

he college professor whom I respected most was the director of music at the cathedral in Albany, New York. He had been the director there for over forty years before he retired, fighting through multiple sclerosis for thirty years. One of his most common pieces of advice was “don’t go into music.” Naturally, as I neared graduation and expressed my desire to continue my studies, focusing in liturgical music, he had some great wisdom.

He reminded me that working for the Church can consume your whole life. With what was obviously a bit of regret, he warned me to never let your work interfere with your family life. Your whole weekends can be gone, you can spend extra hours or days at the office, church, or organ console, and before you know it, your children have grown up without a parent.

There is a balance that all of us who work for the Church need to find, especially those of us who have families at home. For myself, I constantly remind myself that music in the liturgy is my job. Yes, it is a job that I love, and its connection to my faith naturally gives it a deeper meaning in my life than another job might. However, it is not my vocation. My vocation is to be a husband and father, and if my job interferes with that, then something is amiss.

The best way to do this is to be jealous with your days off. I’ve found myself, on more than one occasion, thinking that I’ll put in an extra day at the office, and I’ll shift my day off to later in the week. This never happens. Without fail, there will be a funeral or some other emergency that comes up and you will lose your time with your family altogether. Take days off when they come, and spend them with family. Make time to pick the children up from school, even if it means going back to work in the evening or bringing work home with you. Remember that you work for your family; your family doesn’t revolve around your work.

I always tell people that I am blessed to be able to do what I truly love for a living, to have a relationship with God and offer praise to Him through music. At the end of the day, though, there needs to be a separation between job and vocation. If I had to do the most vile jobs to provide for my family, I would do it. Thank God if you can do what you love and make money doing it, but do not let it consume your true vocation.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

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“The scholar who lives only for his subject is but the fragment of a man; he lives in a shadow-world, mistaking means for ends.”

— Msgr. Ronald Knox (1888-1957)

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