Bonjour la Vie! is an album of 13 songs in the lively and poetic tradition of the French chanson, performed and written by Père Michel-Marie.
Well-known in France as an orator, preacher and writer – Père Michel-Marie is a Catholic priest who has an unusual history: he used to be a cabaret performer. Now, with ‘Bonjour la Vie’ he brings his joie de vivre to songs that convey a message of spiritual, humane optimism. His approach is warm, down-to-earth and often humorous, reminiscent of such legends of French popular culture as Charles Trenet and Yves Montand.
Michel-Marie was just eight years old when he first experienced the calling to become a priest. After studying history at Nice University he did not, however, join a seminary. Instead he took to the cabaret stage, mainly in Paris, making a performing career for a number of years. Having gained this experience of a different life, he decided to fulfil his vocation in the Catholic church. He studied in Toulouse and Rome and spent time in both Franciscan and Dominican orders, including a period training future priests in Romania. He himself was consecrated as a priest in 1999, when he was 40, and he went on to spend 17 years in a parish in Marseille, where he had a transformative influence on the local community.
Père Michel-Marie reaches a wide public with his thoughts, his preaching and, now, his songs. He has produced 15 books, writes widely for the media and attracts large congregations – in 2016, 4000 people flocked to Paris’s famous Church of St Sulpice to hear him speak.
Well-known in France as an orator, preacher and writer – Père Michel-Marie is a Catholic priest who has an unusual history: he used to be a cabaret performer. Now, with ‘Bonjour la Vie’ he brings his joie de vivre to songs that convey a message of spiritual, humane optimism. His approach is warm, down-to-earth and often humorous, reminiscent of such legends of French popular culture as Charles Trenet and Yves Montand.
Michel-Marie was just eight years old when he first experienced the calling to become a priest. After studying history at Nice University he did not, however, join a seminary. Instead he took to the cabaret stage, mainly in Paris, making a performing career for a number of years. Having gained this experience of a different life, he decided to fulfil his vocation in the Catholic church. He studied in Toulouse and Rome and spent time in both Franciscan and Dominican orders, including a period training future priests in Romania. He himself was consecrated as a priest in 1999, when he was 40, and he went on to spend 17 years in a parish in Marseille, where he had a transformative influence on the local community.
Père Michel-Marie reaches a wide public with his thoughts, his preaching and, now, his songs. He has produced 15 books, writes widely for the media and attracts large congregations – in 2016, 4000 people flocked to Paris’s famous Church of St Sulpice to hear him speak.
