Philippine Catholic priests turned TikTok into an extension of the pulpit

Covid-19 lockdowns pushed Philippine dioceses to livestream sacraments on Facebook, and priests began using social media on their own. The difficulty was cultural as well as technical: some clergy still saw social media as self-promotion or addiction, while nearly 49 million Filipinos were active on TikTok.

The decisive move was to treat TikTok as an extension of the pulpit. Priests posted edited homily snippets and daily devotions, but also sang, danced, and joined viral trends. Fiel Pareja began posting in May 2020; Myke Dacalos used outfit transitions, and Michael Cabellon answered questions through musical trends.

By September 2024, Pareja claimed 3.3 million followers, Dacalos had nearly 10,700, and Cabellon nearly 22,000. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said there was no official TikTok policy, so the change spread as a decentralized experiment rather than a top-down program.

Father Fiel Pareja reached 3.3 million TikTok followers; Dacalos and Cabellon built audiences on a platform with nearly 49 million active Filipinos.

Lockdowns showed that online platforms could carry religious activity beyond a church building.

TikTok’s nearly 49-million-person Philippine audience offered priests a large pool of potential followers.

Using familiar TikTok behaviors made sermons and devotions fit the feed instead of asking viewers to change platforms or habits.

Self-initiated publishing let individual priests experiment even without an official church policy.

When an institution’s audience moves to a new channel, adapt the message to the channel’s native behavior—music, trends, and short clips—while keeping the core mission intact.

The Philippine Catholic TikTok scene remained decentralized. The bishops’ conference advised priests to keep singing and dancing outside sacramental celebrations, while individual creators continued using the feed to invite viewers toward Mass.