Archives and Research

Archbishop Emeritus James M. Hayes

HAYES, Most Reverend James Martin, Archbishop Emeritus of Halifax, died on August 2nd, 2016 in the Halifax Infirmary at the age of 92.

Born in Halifax in 1924, the eldest son of the late Leonard James and Rita (Bates) Hayes, he received his education at St. Thomas Aquinas School, St. Mary’s High School, St. Mary’s College, and in 1943 entered Holy Heart Seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop McNally on June 15, 1947.

Father Hayes’ first pastoral assignment was as a curate at St. Mary’s Cathedral. It was at this time that he became a regular visitor at the hospitals, bringing the sacraments to those who were ill and accompanying them and their families with prayer.

He spent three years in Rome (1954-57), earning his doctorate in Canon Law, and perfecting his French, Latin and Italian. Returning to Halifax in 1957 by ship, he met many Italian families immigrating to Canada, and recognized the need to provide them with pastoral care; so he established a chaplaincy to the Italian community of Halifax, with which he maintained a pastoral connection to his death.

In 1957, he was named Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Halifax and assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and in 1964, he became Rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica.

James Martin Hayes was ordained Titular Bishop of Reperi on Easter Tuesday, April 20, 1965, and accepted the responsibilities of Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Halifax. Following the death of Archbishop Gerald Berry, he was appointed Archbishop of Halifax.

Archbishop Hayes attended the first session of the Second Vatican Council as Archbishop Berry’s secretary, and was himself a Council Father for the final session in 1965.

Archbishop Hayes shepherded the Archdiocese of Halifax from 1967 to 1990. During this time he also served as President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (1987-89), Chair of the Episcopal Commission for Liturgy, and member of Canada’s National Council on Liturgy. He served on numerous other committees and was a delegate for two Synods of Bishops. In 1984, he hosted the visit of Pope John Paul II to our province. He was an advocate for inter-religious dialogue, for which he received the recognition of the local Jewish community. He was strongly committed to Christian Unity and was one of the founders of the Atlantic School of Theology. He also served as Chancellor of Saint Mary’s University.

Archbishop Hayes retired as Archbishop of Halifax in 1990 and he then entered into full-time ministry caring for the sick and the dying, as chaplain in Palliative Care at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax until his retirement from this ministry in 2012.

Archbishop Hayes received a number of honorary doctorates (St. Mary’s University, Mount St. Vincent University, the University of King’s College, St. Francis Xavier University, Université Sainte-Anne, St. Thomas University and Atlantic School of Theology) as well as other honours and medals, including his induction to the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity in 2009 as Grand Officer First Class, the highest order of merit bestowed by the Italian government to a non-Italian citizen. In 2016, he was honoured by the Atlantic School of Theology with the first annual James M. Hayes Symposium on the pastoral care of the sick and dying.

Archbishop Hayes is survived by his sister Marie Whalen, a niece, Mary Rideout, both of St. John’s NL; nephews Timothy, Hamilton ON; Patrick and Daniel, Toronto ON; John and James, St. John’s, NL and many grandnieces and grandnephews. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by a brother, Rev. John Hayes and a sister, Sr. Elizabeth (Betty) Hayes, SC.

Funeral rites was celebrated at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica, Halifax. The committal took place, at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Lower Sackville.

Memorial Donations may be made to the St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica Foundation established for the upkeep of the church he so long served as Rector and Archbishop.

Mass of Christian Burial for Archbishop James M. Hayes
was livestreamed Friday, August 5, 2016. Click Here to Watch

Watch a slideshow

Archive Sources

Catholic Church history

Contact the Atlantic School of Theology Library, 660 Francklyn St., Halifax,NS, B3H 3B5, (902) 423-7986, www.astheology.ns.ca/library/index.html

Genealogical Research

The Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth Archives office acknowledges that sacramental records are enormously useful to those doing genealogical research. Unfortunately, due to staffing issues, we are unable to be of assistance in this area.

However, sacramental records on microfilm are available for public access through various institutions.

For the former Archdiocese of Halifax, Baptismal records up to and including 1915, and First Communion*see note, Confirmation, Marriage and Death records up to and including 1925 may be viewed at Nova Scotia Archives. archives.novascotia.ca
For the former Diocese of Yarmouth, sacramental records on microfilm, with the aforementioned date restrictions, may be viewed at the Argyle Township Court house Archives. www.argylecourthouse.com/content/yarmouth-county-catholic-church-records-on-microfilm/
For sacramental records of the Diocese of Antigonish (including Antigonish, Guysborough, Pictou and Cape Breton Island) contact the Diocese of Antigonish, Chancery Office, 168 Hawthorne St., Antigonish, N.S., B2G 2L7. Phone (902) 863-3335 email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

It may be possible to obtain the information contained in more recent sacrament records on a case by case basis. These records may be accessible through the individual parish where the sacrament took place. The Catholic Pastoral Center may be able to help determine which Parish may hold the records of your ancestors. Please note that, in keeping with protection of privacy legislation, the person(s) named in the record, if still living, must give written permission for the information to be released to a third party. If the person(s) named in the record are deceased, proof of death must be provided. Research of this nature may be subject to a research fee. Parishes are free to determine whether or not they can accommodate requests of this nature.

*NB: Parishes are not required, by Canon law, to keep detailed records of First Communion. As such, many parishes do not.

General historical information about Halifax and area

The Halifax Regional Library has a collection of published materials on Halifax and surrounding communities, including historical street names, place names, and older newspapers. The downtown branch of the Halifax Regional Library is at: 5440 Spring Garden Rd., Halifax, NS, B3J 1E9, (902) 490-5710, www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

Home of the Guardian Angel

Sorry, we do not have access to the records of the Home of the Guardian Angel.

On-site Research Policy

Research requests must be presented in writing; on paper or via email. Written requests must include the nature of the research, the anticipated outcome, and the nature of the records sought after. Please be as specific and include as much information as possible.

Research will be subject to a $50/hr research fee. This fee applies to the time spent searching for documents and records, and is billable, even if the records are not found, or do not prove to be useful. The first $50 is payable before the research begins. The Archdiocese of Halifax reserves the right to refuse a research request. Records deemed closed to the public will not be made available to researchers.

Appointments for on site research requests must be made a minimum of three weeks in advance. On Site research will be subject to the following regulations, which will be strictly enforced:

Researchers must sign in when they arrive.
Researchers are NOT permitted, under any circumstances, to enter the archives vault.
Researchers will work with the Archivist to determine what records or type of records would be useful, and the archivist will bring the documents up from the vault to be viewed.
Researchers will be closely supervised.
NO FOOD OR DRINK is permitted in the research area.
PENCIL ONLY may be used for note taking.
NO MARKS OF ANY KIND may be made on the archival documents. This precludes also the use of “sticky notes.”
Material must be handled as little as possible and with great care. You may be required to wear vinyl or cotton gloves.
The researcher will be responsible for restoration costs associated with damage to archival material inflicted during research, whether intentional or not.
Do no lean on archival files or volumes, or place paper on documents while taking notes.
Do not place anything on top of archival material.
Do not rearrange or disturb in any way the order of archival material.
Researchers may not make photocopies. Digital photographs may be taken, WITHOUT FLASH. The Archivist or Archival Assistant will make photocopies for researchers if it is possible to do so without damage to the material.
No archival material may be removed from the building.

Updated March, 2017

Research Policy

Access to archival records may be provided for:

parishioners conducting official parish business;
members of religious communities conducting research for their community.

Access for other reasons will be considered on a case by case basis, and may be subject to a $50/hour research fee. This fee will apply to research time, whether or not the sought after information is located, or proves useful to the researcher.

Requests for access must be made in writing (email or regular mail) to:

Catholic Diocesan Centre
1559 Brunswick St., Suite 101
Halifax, NS B3J 2G1
Attn: Archives

By email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Include your name and credentials, your contact information, the goal of your research, and the date/time you would like to visit. Once approved, an archivist will contact you to discuss your research needs. Access is by appointment only, at least 3 weeks in advance. Research advice is not available on site. Visits will be monitored. Confidentiality of third parties will be respected and may limit access to some records.

Sacramental Records

If you are searching for the record of your OWN Baptism, Confirmation or Marriage, please contact the Parish where the sacrament was administered directly. Please refer to the Directory to find contact information for the Parishes.

If you are uncertain as to where the sacrament may have taken place, please contact the archives office for assistance.

Please note that Parents or legal guardians may obtain sacramental records for their children if they are under the age of 18. The sacramental records of adults 18 and over must be requested by the person(s) named in the record. The record cannot be released to a Third Party, unless written proof of power of attorney is presented.

Sacramental Records of Closed or Amalgamated Churches

Click to open listing (pdf)

St. Joseph's Orphanage and St. Patrick's Boys Home, Halifax, NS

The Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth Archives holds very limited records from these two institutions. Due to the confidential nature of these records, access to the public is not permitted. The research requests of direct descendants of former residents will be considered on a case by case basis, by written request, and may be subject to a $50/hr research fee.

100th Anniversary of the Halifax Explosion

2017 10 03 Postcard explosion S.S. Imo

Check out our virtual display

by clicking here or visit

www.halifaxyarmouth.org/
explosion

St. Peter's/St. Mary's Burial Registers 1784-1842

2011 04 27 St. Mary 1840 H714 col web

St. Mary's, Sept 8, 1840
(showing cemetery walls)

In May of 2012, the transcription of St. Peter’s/St. Mary's Church Cemetery burial records from 1784 to 1842 came to a conclusion. St. Peter’s/St. Mary's Cemetery was located on the corner of Spring Garden Road and Grafton Street, including what is now St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica and the former St. Mary’s Girls’ School on Grafton (1893 – 1975). This initiative to produce a readable, searchable database, was completed through the efforts of Dr. Gordon Pollock, PhD, and Mrs. Sharon Riel (Archivist with the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth). Read more

The Burial Registers of St. Peter’s/St. Mary’s: Prologue

St. Peter's/St. Mary's Burial Registers - Chronological

St. Peter's/St. Mary's Burial Registers - Aphabetical

Archives Contact

Sharon Riel
Archivist - Halifax Office
Archdiocese of Halifax - Yarmouth
P.O. Box 1527
Halifax, NS B3J 2Y3
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(902) 429-9800 ext 314