Filipino priests turn to TikTok for singing, dancing and sermons

It’s easy to mistake Myke Dacalos for another content creator who grooves to songs or puts together funny memes on TikTok.

But look closer and you’ll see the unmissable white office collar. Dacalos, 34, is a Catholic priest from the Philippines, a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, who makes videos of himself dancing, singing, preaching and even working out for his 10,700 followers on TikTok. He is one of many Catholic priests nationwide who see TikTok as an extension of the pulpit.

In one video, Dacalos makes a quick outfit transition, swapping a casual white T-shirt for a white and gold chasuble, a garment worn by priests. “Hey, brother, what are you still waiting for?” » he hums, looking close to the screen. “Come, it’s time for Holy Mass.”

With nearly 49 million Filipinos active on TikTok, some statesmen in the country see the platform as a way to reach the herd. On Filipino Catholic TikTok, priests post a wide range of content – ​​from clips of their homilies, edited with background music and graphics, to dancing and participating in viral trends. Comment sections are peppered with “Thank you, Lord” and “Amen,” followed by strings of praying hand emojis.

“I’m trying to contribute to the change in mentality within the Church that social media is only for self-promotion or becoming addicted to it,” Dacalos said. Rest of the world. “We cannot deny its great potential for evangelization. »

Currently, 115 million Filipinos, or 80 percent of the population, belong to the Roman Catholic Church, and the institution has had an outsized influence on the country’s social and political spheres, affecting issues such as divorce, health reproductive and LGBTQIA rights. During Covid-19 lockdowns, dioceses turned to Facebook to livestream the sacrament, prompting the Church to be more active online. Filipino priests have started turning to social media, mostly of their own accord.

Rev. Fiel Pareja, nicknamed “Father TikTok,” began posting in May 2020 and claims to be the first Catholic priest on the platform. He starts every video with the same spiel: “Wait, don’t jump.” He posts “daily devotions” to his 3.3 million followers, making him one of the most followed Filipino priests on the app.

With nearly 22,000 followers, Reverend Michael Cabellon dances to musical trends. Recently, he danced to a song by popular Filipino girl group Bini, while answering a question: “Father, why does it take so long to become a priest?”

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, an umbrella organization for all Filipino bishops, said there is no official policy regarding the use of TikTok by the Church and priests.

“Regarding singing and dancing, it is advisable to do them outside of the celebration of the sacraments,” said the Rev. Jerome Secillano, spokesperson for the organization. Rest of the world.

For Rev. Dacalos, it’s about exercising caution as public religious figures, while celebrating their talents before their call to the priesthood. He hopes his followers will at least consider attending mass when they discover his videos on their For You page. “Jesus told Peter he would make them fishers of men,” he said. “Now the fish are in the ocean we call social media. This is where Jesus’ disciples can fish.