As most of you know, nearly two years ago I became secretary to my parish priest. The understanding between us was that although I would start as a volunteer, he would obtain a salary for me from the parish council.
Well — I’m sure you can guess what happened. That salary never materialized. From time to time I would bring it up, but the timing was never “right,” in terms of the mess left behind by the last priest and the amount of work needed to bring the parish back into some semblance of order.
Then my husband retired, and the subject of my working for pay arose again. Now, keep in mind that I’m now 63 years old, so jobs aren’t going to be plentiful to begin with, but having proved myself and my skills, I went to Fr. Count and said, “We really need to do something about this funding now.” And he agreed.
Of course, the Council shot it down at first, and Father really pushed. Then he suggested that if the position weren’t funded at the beginning of the year, I should just step down and force the Council’s hand. At the last Council meeting of the year, he made a strong case for needing a position created for a secretary, and mentioned that there was another woman in the parish who could be approached for the job, if the position were funded.
They voted to fund the position. And install the other woman.
I’m not sure who I’m more furious with: Father, for slicking me out of a job; the Council, for being such a collection of oafs that they would take on a woman who may not even have secretarial skills, for all we know (but hey, she has all the skills she needs — SHE’S GREEK!!!); or myself, for letting this happen to me again. Mostly, I suspect, with myself. I feel like such a fool.
At the moment, my chief concern is whether or not I should ask for the return of a set of Menaia I donated to the parish last year, fully expecting that I would be able to use them as needed. They aren’t even Greek Menaia; they’re from the St. John of Kronstadt Press, the only English-language set I could buy “on time,” as it were, one book a month. I could use those Menaia in preparing the Choir Cues, but it smacks of giving with one hand and taking with the other. On the other hand, I was promised a salary that never materialized, and I was donating financially to the church, as well as the donation of time, and the donation of the Menaia.
And there is the question of jurisdiction. My sympathies have always been with the Church Abroad, and having lost my job as a secretary in a Greek parish frees me up to rejoin ROCOR. But my husband, who is finally beginning to consider becoming Orthodox, is more comfortable with a Greek priest whom we know (not Fr. Count).
Time to figure out how to pray an Akathist. Greeks aren’t big on Akathisty, except for the one during Great Lent. I need some help from St. Xenia on this one.
Wow, that’s altogether awful.
I’m so sorry this happened to you again. 😦 Perhaps this is something else planned for you that is hidden now. That doesn’t help much getting through to the other side, though, I know. If you need an Akathist to St. Xenia, I can send you one as an email attachment.
I’m not sure I’m following this correctly.
At your insistence and encouragement, Father went to the Council to get funding for the secretarial position which you already filled. They shot him down.
He then suggested to YOU that if funding didn’t come, YOU should resign, to show the Council how much you were needed?
He then recommended someone else for the position once you vacated it?
THAT is incredible! I canNOT believe he did that!
Geesh.
Prayers for you friend.
Athanasia — when you put it like that, it does sound bizarre. But when I re-read what I wrote, yeah, that’s pretty much how it went down. The only part I left out was that my husband, on his retirement, was aghast to learn that I was working without pay, and insisted that I find some way to earn a salary. That was when I went to the priest again. How exactly he brought this other woman’s name into it, I’m not sure, and how exactly they decided to select her, I’m also not sure. I’m HOPING it wasn’t because he made a strong sales pitch, since she and I were about equally matched in advantages and disadvantages (except, I still don’t know if she’s any kind of secretary. I just don’t know).
Suzanna, thanks for the offer of the Akathist, but I have one already — I just don’t know how to pray them. Do you just barge right into the thing?? I do have a short molieben that I was planning to use first.
At least this time, it isn’t quite as bad as it was the last time. Both times, the blow came out of left field, but at least this time, I have other things with which to occupy my life. Last time, my daughter had just left home, and the emptiness was more painful than I can say. I needed that job to fill the emptiness.
Oh Meg,
I am so very sorry. What a horrid position to be in.
I will keep you in my prayers…..
I’m utterly shocked and stunned. My prayers
(alough, eeep on your husband’s thaw)