Maternity Leave as a Cantor

In most parishes, taking maternity leave as a cantor is probably acceptable and encouraged. At least it is at my parish. I am going to outline a few of the ways I go about taking one, and how I operate once I get back into singing.

Maternity Leave Key Points

• Most ministries probably won’t have one in place; more like an “I’m taking a break, be back after this long of time” policy.
• This is not the same as state-mandated things, don’t worry about being all official about it. Just communicate to the people who need to know you are going to be gone for a certain period of time.
• Chances are, your choir and organist are going to want to see that adorable baby. Get used to that.
• Take as much time as you need
• Slowly get back into the swing of things, it’s okay that your family comes first, ALWAYS!

Step 1: Go On Maternity Leave

I don’t have any experience from an organist or pianists point of view, but I imagine that this would be harder to replace while absent. Like mentioned before, it’s not really a policy in music ministry to do maternity leave in a certain way.

If you get paid, it’s usually on a Mass by Mass basis, so obviously you won’t get paid for the Masses you don’t sing. If you get a yearly salary, then you might want to talk to your priest, music director, or diocese to see how they handle payments during that leave me.

But the bottom line is, PLEASE take a break. Your body needs you to, your baby needs you to, and your family needs you to. The choir and music can go a few weeks without you. If they make a big fuss, you might need to consider making policy in your music ministry to accommodate for expecting mothers who do sing.

I always plan for taking at least 2 months off, and then go from there. If I need longer, I take it. If I feel ready to go back, I tell the other cantor and we plan for the next time I need to sing.

Step 2: I am On Maternity Leave

Now that you’ve taken maternity leave from singing after having your baby, RELAX! Don’t think about the music, don’t think about your replacement (or if they’ve even got one). That should not be your responsibility. In my parish, there are two cantors and two organists. We take turns, if someone cannot make it, we fill in.

I am incredibly lucky that the other cantor is gracious and will fill in for me as long as I need. If she cannot sing, we make arrangements to enlist one of the veteran singers that don’t usually sing anymore.

Did you know? The Catholic church approves the missing of Mass for up to 6 weeks after you have a baby? How cool is that? They value the time that the mother and baby need to heal and bond and graciously give them that time.

While it is nice to go to Mass after having a baby, be aware of the people that are going to want to see the baby. Also, it takes a while to get into a routine with your baby, so if you feel like you don’t have that where it’s comfortable, you might want to take a few more weeks. You don’t want to be in a bad situation and get flustered at Mass.

Take your time coming back to sing. Wait until your baby feels comfortable without you there for an hour or so.

Side Note: it may be easier if your baby is formula-fed. I breastfed my babies, and their schedules were always weird, so I never planned that much on when they would actually eat if it was during Mass time. 

Step 3: Coming Back from Maternity Leave?

So, let’s say you’ve taken a break for 3 months (I did with my third baby). You feel like you can take the stand again and sing. It’s okay to feel rusty and like you’ve forgotten things (it’s called mommy brain, right?)

Make sure your family feels comfortable with you singing again. Your husband might feel overwhelmed if there are multiple children to attend to. Again, I am incredibly fortunate that we live in a community where all his family attends the same church. And all sit in the same 2 pews together. So there is always an extra hand to take one of the kids if necessary.

Maybe you could sit next to some friends or an older couple who enjoy children. I’m sure they would be happy to help with your children, especially that baby.

Tips for singing again:

• Let your people know you are ready.
• Be prepared for your first Mass back.
• Don’t forget key things you might need while singing.
• Warmup if necessary!
• Remember your true role as a cantor and layperson!
• Give yourself a break if you don’t say or sing everything perfectly.
• Work together with your people to set up a schedule for the next couple of months.

Singing really is a life-long gift, so chances are you won’t have any trouble coming back and singing. Other than feeling a bit rusty, you probably are good to go. Get back out there and start making beautiful music again!

If you want some general Catholic mommy advice and things, check out my website Catholic Mom Vibes.