He is probably one of the most incongruous DJs on the electro scene. A Portuguese Catholic priest has become a real star in Portugal by mixing fiery rhythms and religious messages. “I feel more like a priest thanks to electronic music!” confides Guilherme Peixoto, because music allows him, according to him, to reach out to an audience that does not usually attend churches.
“This allows me to take up the challenge that the Church gives us not to lock ourselves away, but rather to go towards others,” “Padre Guilherme”, as he is nicknamed in Portugal, explains to AFP.
Mass in sneakers
On Sunday mornings, this 50-year-old priest, with a round face and an infectious gaze, meets with his parishioners in Laundos, in northern Portugal. In front of a packed church, he celebrates mass in sneakers, with a green chasuble that he puts on over jeans.
But on the side, the priest leads a real life as an electro artist, swapping the altar for a mixing desk. He gives concerts all over the country and abroad, such as in Spain, Switzerland and Italy, where he performed this year in festivals and clubs.
The Gospel According to Electro
His passion for music began at a very young age, but the idea of becoming a DJ came to him during a trip with Portuguese soldiers to Afghanistan, whom he accompanied as a military chaplain. Upon his return to Portugal, he wanted to improve his skills and so he enrolled in a DJ school in Porto, in the north of the country.
He then realized the power of music to transmit the message of Christ, which according to him is “combined with all the beauty of the harmonies specific to electronic music.” It allows to highlight “the joy of the Gospel, a message of hope and faith but also of tolerance, harmony and peace,” adds this man of the Church much appreciated by his parishioners.
His fame really exploded a year ago when he DJed in Lisbon in front of nearly a million and a half pilgrims from around the world, during Pope Francis’ closing mass for World Youth Day. Today, when he arrives somewhere for a concert, the man who is followed by more than 900,000 people on Instagram is welcomed like a rock star.