Beatboxing, dancing nuns winning hearts and growing their flock

The New York Times 23rd September, 2025 11:46 AM

The Catholic Church’s effort to win young followers relies in part on influencers, D.J.s and two Brazilian nuns with plenty of rhythm.

There was a party at the convent.

One break dancer who introduced himself as the Wizard was doing backflips. Another was spinning on his back. There were spotlights, a rapper, two cameramen and a Chevy lowrider with a sound system in the trunk, and the bass turned up.

In the middle of it all were Sister Marizele Rego and Sister Marisa Neves — Brazil’s sudden star nuns — and their cluster of backup dancers in habits, crosses and veils.

The nuns were recording the music video for their new song, “Vocation,” which had become a hit since Sister Marizele sang the catchy hook and beatboxed as Sister Marisa danced in sync on a Brazilian Catholic television show three weeks earlier.

Millions of views

The resulting clip rocketed around the world, racking up tens of millions of views. There were memes, imitations and performances on late-night television. On ABC’s “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg called the nuns a “real-life ‘Sister Act.’”

Now they were lip-syncing in the courtyard of their cloister, trying to extend their 15 minutes of fame with a music video they released on Friday. God had sent them viral to draw more young people to the church, they said, and they were trying to carry out his mission.

“Why did something so simple and spontaneous take on such a huge scale?” said Sister Marizele, a singing nun who had already attracted 100,000 Instagram followers before becoming a global sensation. “Because the Holy Spirit wants to touch people’s hearts.”

“But besides the Holy Spirit,” she added, “there’s also the algorithm.”

Sister Marizele, 46, and Sister Marisa, 41, are part of a wider movement in the Catholic Church to let go, loosen up and meet younger audiences where they are — online.

In Brazil, the world’s largest Catholic nation, the church has been haemorrhaging devotees for years. Less than 57 per cent of the country of 200 million now identifies as Catholic, down from 83 per cent 30 years ago, according to government data released this month.