Just after Christmas Day, Dr. Jerzy Cichocki, the Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of St. Michael's Choir School in Toronto, was fired without cause. The Catholic Register carries the story.
Dr. Cichocki has devoted his life to ensuring that the musical and artistic legacy of the great Mgr. John Edward Ronan be carried forward. Dr. Cichocki has managed to preserve and build on the school's devotion to Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony.
The unjust dismissal has not gone unnoticed in Canada and across the world. One immediate sad result of this was that there was no music in St. Michael's Cathedral for the Feast of the Epiphany. How tragic, how sad. How brutal to fire a person with no cause over Christmas!
There is an online Petition to get Dr. Cichocki reinstated. I encourage all readers to sign immediately. To sign, please visit here.
The person who has the authority to rehire Dr. Cichocki is Thomas Cardinal Collins. According to the Catholic Register, the Cardinal supports the school Administration regarding Dr. Cichocki's dismissal.
Please contact His Eminence and politely and respectfully ask the Cardinal to intervene to save this good and accomplished man's position at the Choir School.
His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins
1155 Yonge St. Toronto M4T 1W2
tel: (416) 934-0606 ext. 609
email:archbishop@archtoronto.org
7 comments:
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A reasonable and fair individual, but more so for a Christian and the Catholic Church, with a conscience and compassion, should not terminate a dedicated employee who has made significant contributions to St. Michael’s Choir School ("SMCS") and St. Michael’s Cathedral, during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Whether or not there is a fair and just cause to terminate an employee, with respect, I submit that the Archdiocese, His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, and the Board of Directors of SMCS, cannot use the veil of private human resources matter, to avoid answering his and their accountability to the stakeholders, the current students and their parents, as well as potential students who will enrol in Sep 2017.
Chee-Kong Leong
http://www.alwayscatholic.com/?p=17001
A reasonable and fair individual, but more so for a Christian and the Catholic Church, with a conscience and compassion, should not terminate a dedicated employee who has made significant contributions to St. Michael’s Choir School ("SMCS") and St. Michael’s Cathedral, during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Whether or not there is a fair and just cause to terminate an employee, with respect, I submit that the Archdiocese, His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, the Board of Directors of SMCS, cannot use the veil of private human resources matter, to avoid answering his and their accountability to the stakeholders, the current students and their parents, as well as potential students who will enrol in Sep 2017.
A reasonable and fair individual, but more so for a Christian and the Catholic Church, with a conscience and compassion, should not terminate a dedicated employee who has made significant contributions to St. Michael’s Choir School ("SMCS") and St. Michael’s Cathedral, during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Whether or not there is a fair and just cause to terminate an employee, with respect, I submit that the Archdiocese, His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins and the SMCS Board of Directors, cannot use the veil of private human resources matter, to avoid answering his and their accountability to the stakeholders, the current students and their parents, as well as potential students who will enrol in Sep 2017. I have two sons who are currently students at SMCS.
Doc. Cichocki is a man to serve others with heart & passion. And what does he get? A bureaucratic dismissal that is un-Catholic. The music office and cathedral just kick him out as a parting gift for all the work Doc has done. He even made the new hymn book. This seems like a trap for Doc. Judas betrayed Jesus just as the school and archdiocese betrayed the SMCS community and Doc.
I remember the bible story of the disciples wanting to block the children to go near Jesus, but Jesus never refused people to approach him. What about now? The SMCS community would like to know why SMCS has dismissed Doc. We are a community; the school is using a PR-like approach to this and is being very exclusive. This is not the way.
To the Cardinal, you are supposed to be a shepherd of the Catholic community; how can you allow for such a tragedy happen? You are supposed to protect this community from injustice. If you have 100 sheeps and lose one, you will look for that lost one.
Jesus was crucified because the people wanted to get rid of him. Of course I know it's the will of God to sacrifice his son and saved us. Back then, Pilate found nothing against Jesus, but the people still wanted him dead. Just like now, Doc has done nothing wrong, but the one who sent out the letter does not want Doc and will give no reason. The letter seems rushed, and it's disrespectful to a person who devoted himself to SMCS for so long. Is this the Catholic community? The golden commandment is "LOVE" but I do not see any!
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