David Robert Haas (born 1957 in Bridgeport, Michigan) is an American author and composer of contemporary Catholic liturgical music.
[1] As a consequence leaders in diverse Church traditions have requested local communities to remove hymns composed by Haas from use.
From 1978–1980, Haas was a seminarian for the Diocese of Saginaw, studying at Saint John Vianney College Seminary and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
[1] Haas has collaborated on recordings, concerts and workshops with Michael Joncas, Marty Haugen, Jeanne Cotter, Lori True, and others.
[4] From 1985–1996, Haas served as a Faculty/Team Member for Institutes with the North American Forum on the Catechumenate, helping develop liturgical and musical aspects of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
[8] On May 29, 2020, advocacy group Into Account sent a letter to Catholic organizations, accusing Haas of sexual misconduct with "nearly a dozen" victims.
[9] Then, on July 9, 2020, Haas issued an apology on his website, announcing that he was beginning "professional intervention and treatment" and saying: "I have come to realize that I have caused great harm to a variety of people.
[14] A lawsuit further alleged that his Music Ministry Alive program shielded a suspended priest who had been credibly accused of child sexual abuse and prohibited from contact with minors.