On Sun., Aug. 6, the 1.5 million young people who spent the night in Parque Tejo had a decidedly lively awakening.
The boys who spent the night outdoors after the vigil, waiting for Mass with the Holy Father, woke up to the electronic music of Father Guilherme Guimaraes Peixoto.
The artist is a 49-year-old Portuguese priest from the Archdiocese of Braga.
For 13 years he has been parish priest of the churches of Laúndos and Amorim and chaplain of the Portuguese Army.
Several hours before Sunday's Holy Mass, the priest took the stage to encourage pilgrims and "wake them up" with a mix of electronic music.
Californian Elizabeth Alva, who was present at Parque Tejo on Sunday, told ACI Prensa that "music was the first thing everyone heard when they woke up in the morning" and that "everyone was very happy."
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Father Peixoto faced multiple health problems at birth that brought him to the brink of life and death.
However, his Catholic family prayed day and night for his recovery.
Then inspired by his parish priest, he entered the seminary at 13 years old and became a priest at 24.
He began his career as a DJ to financially support the Parish of Saint Michael of Laúndos in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal.
"We had a big debt (the end of the restoration of the parish residence). We didn't have classrooms for catechism and there were needs to be resolved," he told the Jornal de Guimarães.
After the success of his first concerts, he continues to fundraise to improve his parish.
Regarding his participation in World Youth Day, he assured that he prepared everything to "be a hymn of glory to God."
"I also try to leave my mark as a priest, as a Christian, [and] as a Church. My music itself, these days, [is] a journey of joy, peace, harmony, spirituality, [and] faith, and that everyone has fun and in the end carries something in their hearts," he told Agencia Ecclesia of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference.