Abbot of Maredsous Abbey Goes Viral on TikTok: ‘I Was Not Aware of the Power of TikTok’

A 20-second TikTok video has turned a 64-year-old Benedictine abbot in rural Belgium into an unlikely internet sensation. Father François Lear, the 9th Abbot of the historic Maredsous Abbey, watched in disbelief as a video of him wearing headphones and grooving to electronic dance music amassed over 1 million views across TikTok and Instagram within just two days.

“I totally didn’t expect that,” Lear told De Morgen in an interview published June 20. “I was completely unaware of the power of something like TikTok.”

An Unlikely Influencer

Born James Lear in Houston, Texas, in 1962, Father François has called Maredsous Abbey home for more than 40 years. He made his monastic profession in 1984, became a Belgian citizen, and was ordained a priest in 2001 after studying pedagogy, philosophy, and theology in Lille, France. In December 2024, he was elected as the abbey’s 9th abbot, succeeding Bernard Lorent, who had served for 22 years. The Benedictine Order formally announced his election in January 2025.

Despite his traditional Benedictine habit, Lear is far from technologically averse. He uses a smartphone daily, listens to contemporary pop music on YouTube, and describes the smartphone as “truly a blessing.” “I couldn’t do without it anymore,” he said. “Have you seen how big our abbey is?”

How the Video Happened

The viral moment came almost by accident. A student from Collège Saint-Benoît, the school on the abbey grounds, approached Lear with a phone and headphones, following a popular TikTok trend where someone is asked what they’re listening to.

“One of the students from our college pushed his phone into my hands and put his headphones on my head,” Lear recalled. “And before I knew it, I was going viral.”

The video, posted on the official Maredsous Sound Festival TikTok account, reveals Lear listening to “We Want Peace” by Padre Guilherme — a Portuguese Catholic priest and DJ who mixes electronic dance music with religious chants. The video was created to promote the inaugural Maredsous Sound Festival, scheduled for August 28-29, 2026.

La Libre reported in early May that the abbey’s TikTok debut was part of a broader trend of religious institutions adapting to social media, noting that Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have seen a rise in Catholic content in recent years.

Balancing Silence and Social Media

Lear is thoughtful about the tension between the abbey’s contemplative traditions and the noise of social media. While silence remains essential — the monks do not speak to one another in the evenings, allowing space for prayer — he sees no inherent conflict.

“Only if you don’t handle it well,” Lear said when asked if smartphones contradict the monastic pursuit of silence. “Many people struggle with that today, and not just young people. Social media brings a lot of noise and distraction into our lives. But we have always been an abbey that opens up to the world. We don’t want to lock ourselves away on our island.”

A Festival with a Purpose

The Maredsous Sound Festival, headlined by Padre Guilherme (who boasts 2.5+ million social media followers), is more than a novelty. Proceeds from the event will go toward the “Basilique 2030” project — the restoration of the 19th-century abbey’s roofs and facades. The abbey, founded in 1872 by Beuron Abbey in Germany, is home to about 20 monks, with the youngest aged 49.

But Lear is careful to keep the focus spiritual. “Once a year we want to organize a large gathering of young people, like this summer with Padre Guilherme,” he said. “But the spiritual remains paramount; it doesn’t have to become a second Tomorrowland.”

What’s Next?

Despite his newfound fame, Lear has no plans to become a full-time content creator. “They’ve made me an influencer with that one video,” he laughed. “But for now, I don’t plan to make any more videos.”

Whether or not the abbot posts again, his accidental virality has already achieved something remarkable: it introduced a 150-year-old Benedictine abbey to millions of young people around the world, proving that even the most ancient traditions can find a place on the most modern of platforms.

The Maredsous Sound Festival takes place August 28-29, 2026, at Maredsous Abbey in Denée, Belgium.