Bro. James Hayes - De La Mennais Brothers
Much of my energies go into finding and arranging songs and mass parts to use in youth masses as well as writing my own, some of which you can find on this site. I am hoping to get a publishing deal at some point as some of my stuff is already being used in a few US and UK parishes, mainly through contacts in the LifeTeen network.
I am passionate about working with young people in bringing new music into Catholic liturgies that may help the young especially to find a home in the church and to come to better know and love Jesus Christ. Such songs and music have helped me immensely, so I simply want to share what I have been given.
Over the past 16 years I have brought various groups of young people on retreat to monasteries in England and Wales and in recent years to De La Mennais Brothers' youth gatherings in France (where our order was founded) and to World Youth Day in Germany (Aug. 2005). These groups were made up of young people from our schools in Liverpool and Southampton and from a local parish. In the past 2 years I have also taken groups to Togo (W. Africa) and Uganda to participate in Educational Projects with local pupils in each country. On the French trips I always try to bring young members of both our parish and school worship bands to help lead the music for the gatherings with me. I think that performing modern Christian songs in the Mass and for other occasions can be for them (as it is for me) a way into a new and deeper relationship with Christ if they let that performance become a prayer.
My name is Brother James Hayes
I was born in Southampton in 1968, the youngest of five children. My parents were both born in Ireland, coming over to England after their marriage. Thirteen years ago when they both retired, they decided to move back to their beloved "Emerald Isle" and the green countryside of Co. Limerick.
I'm a former pupil of St. Mary's College in Southampton, run by the De La Mennais Brothers, and I am a life-long Southampton F.C. fan ("Oh, When The Saints..!!"). I joined the De La Mennais Brothers in 1990 after completing a Music degree at Liverpool University. At the moment I am College Chaplain and part-time teacher of Film Studies, Music and RE in a Liverpool boys comprehensive run by my order, St. Francis Xavier's College. Other activities include conducting the College Orchestra, co-leading the staff band, the Manic Street Teachers (!) and helping a colleague with one of the College football teams. I have for many years worked in parish music ministry with and for young people and for 5 years was Music Minister at a LifeTeen youth group in St. Austin's R.C. Parish, Liverpool
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Name: Bro. James Hayes
Status: Teaching Brother
Hometown: Southampton, England
Occupation: teaching, music-making, chaplaincy work
School: St. Mary’s College
Location: Southampton, England
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Interests: playing music (clarinet, bass clarinet, guitar, singing,...), listening to music (all sorts), cycling, football, films, hiking, sport in general, reading and computers.
Movies: The Seventh Seal (I. Bergman + lots of his other films), The Fountain, The Great Dictator (C. Chaplin), , Memento, Good Will Hunting, Requiem For A Dream, L.A. Confidential, Sunshine, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Usual Suspects, La Jetée (C. Marker), Three Colours trilogy + The Decalogue (K. Kieslowski) Children Of Men, Under Suspicion, The Matrix trilogy, Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Into The Wild, Talk To Her, The Sweet Hereafter, Being There (P. Sellars’ last film), Donnie Darko,,...
Musical influences: Delirious, Switchfoot, Downhere, Coldplay, Gemma Hayes (my cousin), early R.E.M., Talk Talk (from "The Colour of Spring" onwards), Radiohead, Snow Patrol, Sufjan Stevens, Sixpence None The Richer...
Other stuff I really like includes , XTC, Cocteau Twins, early Icicle Works, Crowded House/Finn Brothers, Doves, Nik Kershaw, Mute Math, Leeland, Sigur Rós, Dodgy, Tim Hughes, Athlete, Keane, Depeche Mode, Matt Maher, Feeder, Kirsty McColl, Blur, Lowgold, Kings Of Convenience, Santa Carla, Kate Bush, OMD, American Music Club...
In the Classical sphere, Stravinsky, Howells' "Requiem", Gregorian chant and other Mediaeval vocal music, Mozart (of course), Gesualdo, Vaughan-Williams, Bach, Sibelius, Mahler, Prokofiev, Schubert lieder, , Carissimi's "Jephte" S. Reich, Tippett, solo piano music...
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Who am I?
