Father Sam

“Father, nganong mag estorya kag binisaya?”

Hello everyone! Many of you know me as a happy, young priest who loves the Philippines, speaks fluent Cebuano and makes videos on social media. As much as this is true, I’m definitely not another one of those foreigners we have all seen on social media who “fall in love” with the Philippines just because there’s cheap food and nice beaches here. So who is Fr. Sam if he’s not just another foreigner who speaks Cebuano?

In this short article, I want to tell you my story, why I live here and most especially why I work so hard making videos on social media even though I’m already a busy priest. I hope you are excited and that you will be inspired by this sharing!

My story goes back to when I was in the seminary in France where I met several of my Filipino batchmates who became my good friends. Finding fluent English speakers in France was a joy! As we got to know each other better, I decided to ask to be sent to their country for my apostolic internship so that I could discover a new culture and be challenged to grow. I was assigned to our priory in Cebu City in Banawa for three years and this is where I learned Cebuano and was spiritually transformed by a devotion to the Santo Nino. My relationship with God changed when I discovered him as a playful and loving child. I experienced the spiritual power of evangelization that the Catholic Church in the Philippines has had on the entire world.

Towards the end of my internship, the Covic-19 pandemic happened and I wanted to continue encouraging people during these tough times. This was when I became interested in videography and preaching on social media. Although I had very few followers at that time, I kept posting videos and practicing my new hobby. At this time, I was also working on my first album of Christian music which I recorded and published. Online evangelization became a major part of my life as a disciple of Jesus.

During the pandemic, I was asked to go back to France to continue my studies but I continued to make content for my followers and even compose songs. After being ordained a deacon and then a priest, my prayers were answered to be reassigned in the Philippines to our newly-founded mission house in the heart of Cebu City. After almost a year of continuing to post regularly on social media, my first video on TikTok went viral! More than two years later, I am still posting on TikTok and have started a full-time apostolate reaching out to those who are far from the Church through social media platforms.

As I look back, I can see that my love for evangelization and drive to bring many people back into the Church using social media has its roots in my profound spiritual renewal through the encounter with the Santo Nino. I want to show as many people as possible that life with God is beautiful and that he loves us. His Church is a family where we can be happy, not a courthouse where we are judged. This is what the Santo Nino has taught me. I firmly believe that Catholics in the Philippines have a major role to play in spreading the Gospel to not only the whole of Asia but to the entire world. At the same time, Filipino youth face so many challenges with regards to their Faith and need guidance and encouragement to believe in the beauty of a life with Jesus.

Far from hoping to gain money or simply promote the beauty of the Philippines, my desire for anyone who meets me in person or on social media is that they find someone who believes that Jesus can actually change their lives, no matter how sinful or imperfect they are. God is not just a judge but also a child who wants us to let him play and laugh in the lives of as many people as possible.