VOA文化艺术2023--Clergy Connects with Young People through Music

Clergy¹ Connects with Young People through Music

Guilherme Peixoto, a religious official in northern Portugal, has been busy this month. He celebrated² religious services, watched over remembrances for the dead, and prepared electronic music for his next international DJ performance.

DJ, short for disc jockey, is a person who plays recorded music on the radio or at a gathering³.

For this 49-year-old Catholic⁴ priest⁵, music has become an important way to reach people at a time when religion is becoming less popular — especially among young people.

"With electronic music, I can take some message, I can be where young people are," Peixoto said recently. "They can think, ‘If it's possible for a priest to be DJ, it's possible for me to like music, and festivals, and be Christian⁶.'"

Peixoto became more well known when the organizers of World Youth Day in Lisbon asked him to "wake up the pilgrims⁸" at 7 a.m. before Pope⁹ Francis' open-air Mass in August.

Past

When Peixoto was first sent to the village of Laúndos in the mid-2000s, the area needed money to pay for work done on the main church. But local people were tired of normal activities such as bake sales and door-knocking campaigns to raise money. So Peixoto called on the youth music groups to start karaoke events for support.

Within a few years, debts were paid off, church repairs were completed, and Peixoto was taking professional DJ classes

"In the beginning it was strange, but now it's the norm¹⁰. They understood the priest is also a person," said Tania Campos, who was born and raised in Laúndos.

Food and drink sales, as well as other donations, all go back to the church, which is readying for a big building project: a new center for youth activities.

"This is why I'm happy to be here," said Andreia Flores, who belongs to Peixoto's second parish in the nearby village of Amorim. "Faith is to make others happy."

For Peixoto, DJing has become an important way to spread religious messages.

"I'm making these messages arrive where the church is not," he said of performances such as one at a recent Halloween festival with some 30,000 people. There, he re-mixed electronic dance beats with words from Pope Francis' statements about protecting the environment.

Peixoto added with a laugh, "It's not so much — two-three sentences from the Pope — but if I wasn't there, it's no sentence. It's like a small seed, and the Holy Spirit will do his work."

In fact, it was another document from Pope Francis, telling religious officials to go find "the lost sheep," that pushed Peixoto to work harder on his music skills. The hope was that music could become a way to reach those who might never step inside a church.

The future

In Portugal, about half of young people say they have no religion. Most participate less in services, have less confidence in the Church, and pray less than older generations, says a recent study by the Catholic Portuguese¹¹ University in Braga.

Peixoto plans to continue to develop his DJ skills to bring a Christian message to people who might have never heard of Jesus — while remaining committed to all regular church activities.

"It's very important to me to not only be the priest DJ, but be the shepherd of the community," Peixoto said recently. "The world is not so closed to Jesus. But you need to speak the language."

Words in This Story

priest – n. a person who has the authority to lead or perform ceremonies in some religions and especially in some Christian religions

pilgrim⁷ – n. someone who travels to a holy place

karaoke – n. a form of entertainment in which people sing the words to the songs they choose

donation – n. something (such as money or food) that you give in order to help an organization

faith – n. strong religious feelings or beliefs

shepherd – n. a person who takes care of sheep — sometimes used figuratively

1 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

5 priest   

n.神父，牧师，司铎，司祭，领导者，神甫；vt.使成为神职人员

参考例句：

• He confessed to a priest that he had sinned.他向神父忏悔他犯了罪。
• The priest visited all the old people in the parish.牧师探望了教区里的所有老人。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 pilgrim   

n.香客，朝圣者；v.朝圣，参拜圣地，流浪

参考例句：

• They read stories about the Indians and the pilgrim.他们阅读有关印第安人和那些朝圣者的故事。
• But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you.只有一个人爱你那朝圣者的灵魂。

8 pilgrims   

香客，朝圣者( pilgrim的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca 前往麦加的穆斯林朝圣者
• Many pilgrims knelt piously at the shrine. 许多朝圣者心虔意诚地在神殿跪拜。

9 pope   

n.（罗马天主教的）教皇

参考例句：

• The Pope is the spiritual leader of many Christians.教皇是众多基督徒的宗教领袖。
• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。

10 norm   

n.标准，规范，平均数

参考例句：

• Of his age,the child is above the norm in arithmetic.在他那个年龄，这个孩子的算术能力是超过标准的。
• These events were aberrations from the norm.这些事件不合常规。

11 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。