Time does not stand still. As the world evolves, technology dominates all aspects of human life and updates itself rapidly. It is practically inevitable that the more traditional sectors of our society will need to modernise.

It is a fact that religion, in one form or another, is intrinsic to the human experience. Millions of people find comfort in faith, especially in the face of life’s fragility and finitude.

In a small parish in Póvoa do Varzim, Portugal, one priest understood the union of faith and modernity better than anyone else.

Father Guilherme Peixoto, born in 1974 in Guimarães, found his clerical vocation at an early age. Having been raised in a devout family, the Catholic faith was not unknown to him. It was thanks to his mother that Father Guilherme would follow the path to the priesthood.

When doctors did not expect him to live due to health problems at birth, his mother prayed and promised that if her son survived, he would follow the path of God.

Despite this promise, little Guilherme chose the priesthood himself at only 13, deciding to follow his vocation rather than because anyone imposed it on him.

In 1999, at the age of 25, Guilherme Peixoto was ordained as a priest and began his career in the diocese of Braga. Later, he also served as a military chaplain, participating in international missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo. Already passionate about electronic music, during his mission in Afghanistan, the priest organised social events for the soldiers. Upon returning to Portugal, he decided to take DJing lessons to perfect his art, which, years later, would make his name known worldwide.

Upon becoming the parish priest in Laúndos, Father Guilherme quickly realised he had a lot of work ahead of him, as the community faced financial difficulties due to the construction of the parish centre. To get around these problems, the parish priest decided to reopen an old parish café, which he named ‘Ar de Rock’, in order to raise funds and stabilise the community’s accounts.

As he mentioned in an interview on RFM, initially ‘Ar de Rock’ was a simple entertainment venue, where visitors mainly did karaoke, but the priest felt he needed something more to make more profit and attract a younger crowd, and that’s how he began to put his taste for electronic music and his talents to use within his parish. There, Father Guilherme finally managed to literally ‘mix’ faith and the worldly, bringing young people closer to the Catholic faith and supporting his parish at the same time.

During the pandemic, he started live-streaming on social media, showcasing his sets, which went viral and launched his international DJ career.

And so, what began as a financial necessity became a tool for modern evangelism. For Father Guilherme, the important thing is that faith is felt, wherever it may be, and as he has mentioned in several interviews around the world, his faith remains intact throughout his work.

Whether on stage or in church, DJ Father Guilherme wants to show the world that being a Catholic does not mean isolating oneself from the world. On the contrary, it means uniting with people of all kinds and spreading messages of peace, love, and harmony.