A Catholic priest belonging to the Carmelite Messengers of the Holy Spirit congregation has become Brazil’s most-watched streamer in 2025. According to Stream Charts, which collects data from streaming platforms, Father Gilson Pupo Azevedo’s videos have been watched over 153 million hours last year, surpassing gamers and sports commentators. Popularly known in Brazil as Friar Gilson, the priest first became famous for inviting people to pray the rosary online daily at 4 a.m.
Thirty-nine-year-old Fr. Gilson is a singer and leads a ministry called Sound of the Mountain. He has been promoting St. Michael’s Lent for the past few years, drawing hundreds of thousands of Christians to fasting and praying the rosary. According to Crux, in 2024, heeding Fr. Gilson’s call, almost 700,000 people woke up at 4 am to pray the rosary with him on YouTube. In 2025, that number exceeded one million.
Fr. Gilson’s simple Catholic preaching has touched the lives of Brazilians in an incredible way, leading them to repentance and conversion. He told Crux that his success is not the result of any marketing strategy or any financial investment, but “a simple, genuine, and faithful evangelization.” During an interview given to one of Brazil’s leading podcasters, Fr. Gilson upheld the truth in the Holy Scriptures and the Magesterium. He currently has over 8.7 million subscribers on YouTube.