Father File Pareja, or “Priest TikTok,” won the Rising Star category for his hundreds of videos about his Catholic faith.
The first TikTok awards were held through the social media platform on July 4. The winners of the event included YouTube stars, boy bands, comedians and a priest. (Lm) Catholicism. Lm Fiel Pareja, affectionately known as “Lm TikTok”, took home the TikTok award in the “Rising Star” category.
Shut up. Pareja started her TikTok account in 2020 and has since amassed over 1.1 million followers. His account is filled with religious reflections, prayers, and faith guidance, but he also engages in challenges. In fact, one of the videos that put him on the charts was the “Wipe It Down” challenge.
In the challenge performance, the priest stood in front of the mirror and wiped the mirror with a rag. After every wipe, he was suddenly put on a new vestment. The video has been viewed tens of thousands of times, but it is still not his most popular video. Father Pareja regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of views with his 90-second Bible meditations.
As a Filipino priest working in the Archdiocese of Manila, many of his videos are in the local language. However, more than that in English brought Lm. Pareja into a vast global communication network. Last year, he produced dozens, if not hundreds, of notable TikTok videos about Catholicism.
Unexpected success
In an interview with Rappler, Lm Pareja explained that he never intended to open a separate TikTok account. It is unlikely that people will react as positively to one priest as they do to another, he said.
The 30-year-old Catholic priest said: “In our country, you know that people are not used to seeing priests dancing or lip syncing. As if it were a taboo, a great sin. A priest is expected to preach from the pulpit, during Mass.”
It is possible that during the pandemic in the world, the priest found himself with some extra free time. He began to make brief reflections on the Gospels and Psalms, not expecting him to succeed. One of his videos has even reached millions of views.
Shut up. Pareja has enjoyed great success through TikTok, but he remains humble. Regarding his social media work, he said: “All of this is not for myself, but for those who will receive the Word of God.”
(Click here) to discover Lm Pareja's Catholic TikTok account and start praying with him today.
Lưu Dung translate / Conggiao.vn