Rob Galea is probably the biggest pop star you’ve never heard of.
He plays to hundreds of thousands of people every year.
He gets mobbed on the streets of many countries.
He was invited to perform on the US version of The Voice, but was too busy.
Is he based in Hollywood? London? No, Rob Galea lives in Shepparton, in central Victoria.
Such is the Galea paradox. He’s young – 32. He’s handsome – as evidenced by his selfies on Instagram.
He has undeniable sex appeal – women are known to weep and scream “I love you!” during concerts. He’s a gym junkie who lifts 110 kilograms.
But as well as being a pop singer and aspiring body-builder, this gently-spoken man with “Forgiven” tattooed down his well-honed bicep is an ordained Catholic priest; perhaps the world’s biggest celibate sex symbol.
Father Rob Galea is an assistant priest in the Catholic diocese of Sandhurst.
He says his vocation isn’t to top the charts, but to convince young people they are loved unconditionally: “I’m first and foremost a Christian, then I’m a priest and then I’m a musician.”
Only four years after his ordination, Galea is already being credited with re-energising the Catholic Church in Australia.
When not undertaking parish duties – Galea is chaplain at Shepparton’s Notre Dame Secondary College, visits two hospitals and six retirement homes, and manages the diocese’s youth program – he tours the world playing packed stadiums, schools and conferences with his band of hipster Christians and makes albums, which have sold tens of thousands.
His music is catchy, upbeat and gently plugs God.
In Angel, from his recent fifth album, an apparently poppy love song morphs into an exhortation for God’s protection: “Let his face shine bright on you and lead you to a place called home, a home for you, my little angel.” Continue reading
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