It’s easy to mistake Myke Dacalos for just one more content creator grooving to songs or stitching funny memes on TikTok.
But look closer and you’ll see the unmistakable white clerical collar. Dacalos, 34, is a Catholic priest from the Philippines, with 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 the many Catholic priests in the country who see TikTok as an extension of the pulpit.
In one video, Dacalos does a quick outfit transition, swapping a casual white T-shirt for a white-and-gold chasuble, a vestment worn by priests. “Hey, brother, what are you still waiting for?” he croons, peering close to the screen. “Come, it’s time for the Holy Mass.”
With nearly 49 million Filipinos active on TikTok, some men of the cloth in the country consider the platform an avenue to reach the flock. On Philippine Catholic TikTok, priests post a wide range of content — from snippets of their homilies, edited with background music and graphics, to dancing and participating in viral trends. The comments sections are peppered with “Thank you, Lord” and “amen,” followed by strings of praying-hands emojis.
“I’m trying to contribute to the changing of the mindset within the Church that social media is just for self-promotion or something to get addicted to,” Dacalos told Rest of World. “We cannot deny its great potential for evangelization.”
Currently, 115 million Filipinos, or 80% 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 like divorce, reproductive health, and LGBTQIA rights. During Covid-19 lockdowns, dioceses pivoted to Facebook to livestream the sacrament, prompting the Church to be more active online. Philippine priests began to take to social media — many of their own accord.
Rev. Fiel Pareja, dubbed “Father TikTok,” started 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 skip.” He posts “daily devotions” to his 3.3 million followers, making him one of the most widely followed Philippine priests on the app.
With a following of nearly 22,000, Rev. Michael Cabellon dances to musical trends. Recently, he danced to a song by the popular Philippine 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 organization that includes all Philippine bishops, said there is no official policy on the Church and the priests’ use of TikTok.
“With regard to singing and dancing, it is advised that they be done outside the celebration of the sacraments,” Rev. Jerome Secillano, the organization’s spokesperson, told Rest of World.
For Rev. Dacalos, it’s a matter of exercising prudence as religious public figures, while still celebrating their talents from before they were called to priesthood. He hopes that his followers at least consider attending Mass when they come across his videos on their For You page. “Jesus told Peter that he will make them fishers of men,” he said. “Now the fish is in the ocean we call social media. It is there that the disciples of Jesus can fish.”