Rosary rapper meets Pope

Viennese Rosary rapper translates Bible Verses into youth language

With Papal and episcopal blessing, confirmation sponsor and musician Michalitsch aims to encourage young people to explore their faith with curiosity, creativity, and freedom.

The Viennese artist "Freeman Vienna" has already received papal blessing for his "Rosary Rap." At the end of April, Philipp Michalitsch traveled to the Vatican with Bishop Hermann Glettler to present his project to Pope Leo XIV. The song, titled "Mama Mary," features him, along with seminarian Sebastian Cotroneo ("PietroPizzi") and Matthias "Maron" Haberler, interpreting the "Victorious Rosary" in a rap-culture style to bring the Bible verses into the lives of young people. But the Rosary Rap is more than just a song. Freeman wants to pass on the beat—or, you could say, the "beads" (rosary beads)—to young people. Instrumental versions are available on YouTube for anyone who wants to try their hand at Rosary Rap.  Video and English translation of lyrics

"Jesus, who was mocked by the powerful" (Luke 23:12) or "Jesus, who ate with sinners" (Mark 2:15) are two of the mysteries of the Rosary that young people can connect to their own lives. Translated, this means: "God's love endures and is stronger than bullying" and "You don't have to be perfect. God is your best bro, no matter what," Michalitsch explains in the Kathpress interview. He can personally attest to this. He, too, often felt misunderstood and—having grown up in a Christian household—often associated the Church with coercion.

"Jesus, who was mocked by the powerful" (Luke 23:12) or "Jesus, who ate with sinners" (Mark 2:15) are two of the mysteries of the Rosary that young people can connect to their own lives. "A Slap in the Face from God"

"I never doubted God's existence and omnipotence, but during my rebellious phase, I wanted to do my own thing, and what the priest said wasn't necessarily gospel," the musician explained. He added that the world is "quiet. There are other currents that compete with what we believe." After many detours, he finally received a "slap in the face" from God—"and a real one at that." After that, nothing was ever the same. Praying the Rosary helped him through his crisis. And now he wants to share the prayer with others. Music is perfectly suited for this. Incidentally, the patron of the "Rosary Rap" is former Youth Bishop Stephan Turnovszky. The patron of the "Rosary Rap" is, incidentally, the former Youth Bishop Stephan Turnovszky.

"I used to be an asshole. I admit it—and if anyone saved me, it was you. What most people still don't understand: You don't read God in books, you can see God," are the lines from his song "Holy Ghost." That's precisely what "Freeman" wants to convey to young people with his Rosary Rap—also in his Confirmation preparation classes and his "Rap and Pray" workshops, which he holds in the Archdiocese of Vienna. He also recently worked with the organization "Kisi—God's Singing Kids."

"More than just a fashion statement"

"Children and young people should explore their faith with curiosity, creativity, and freedom, not necessarily according to a set pattern," explains the Christian rapper. For him, the Bible was initially also a 2,000-year-old book that was difficult to read. "In Rosary Rap, it's not the Rosary prayers that are rapped, but rather the victorious Rosary is applied to our lives." The lines "Mama Mary, sing you a song! Hammer Combi, because you love me, you lead me to your son on the beat, beat, beat - repeat!" were intended to be more relatable for young people, according to Michalitsch. "It's 59 pearls and more than just a fashion piece," raps fellow musician "Maron."

It may also be the artist's distinctive appearance that appeals to young people: his "conversion" is tattooed on his body. The video for "Mama Mary" shows how "Mary, Undoer of Knots" found her way onto the rapper's arm. The names of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are inscribed in Hebrew on his hands and arm. So too is the image of his patron saint, Saint Philip Romulus Neri, whose particular concern was for the young people, as well as praying hands and keys to heaven on his chest and the Evangelists on his legs. “A priest can take off his collar, but with me, you can see what’s what. I can’t get the Lord’s name off me anymore,” Michalitsch says—smiling and pointing to his hands—in an interview with Kathpress.

Bishop’s Blessing with Beatbox Interlude

Michalitsch has dedicated his lyrics to God at least since an international rap battle in 2019 in Vienna’s Simmering district, in what the rapper calls “anything but a Christian place.” At the time, the artist unintentionally ripped his rosary off his neck. “The moment was raw, unplanned, and symbolically charged. It became a turning point for me: I dedicated the subsequent success to God.”

The idea for the Rosary Rap originated with Josef Pirmann, then 91 years old and now deceased, who became aware of the artist through an article in the Viennese newspaper "Sonntag." He called Michalitsch while he was at the pilgrimage site of Fatima. "He had such a passion for the Rosary—such a powerful prayer that many young people don't know. He asked me to use music to inspire young people to pray it again."

As early as 2022, Michalitsch declared his intention to present his rap to the Pope. However, to be invited for an audience, he needed episcopal recommendations. The rapper received these from the patron of the "Rosary Rap" project, Auxiliary Bishop Turnovszky of Vienna, Archbishop Franz Lackner of Salzburg, Vicar General Gerhard Viehhauser of Salzburg, and Bishop Glettler of Innsbruck, responsible for art and culture in the Austrian Bishops' Conference. After the papal visit, Bishop Glettler appeared in a video on social media, "beatboxing" with the artist. "I was truly deeply impressed by how well he was able to capture the spirit of rap," Michalitsch recalls.

Meeting with the Pope

On April 29th of this year, the moment finally arrived: "I told the Pope that I make Christian rap that aims to reach young people with a different language. After his approving nod, I knelt down, and he blessed me for my youth work." Beforehand, it was "briefly embarrassing." "I came upon Leo XIV, and my phone alarm went off—a prayer reminder for my confirmation godchildren."

The rapper also had his Rosary and Rosary beads blessed—"natural rubies, not cultured," explains the rapper, who makes his own prayer beads. Since then, he has worn the blessed beads around his neck: a victorious rosary, followed by a white bead for the meeting with the Pope, and a rosary dedicated to Saint Joseph.

To his knowledge, the Pope prefers listening to Michael Bublé and The Sound of Music. The protocol even stated, underlined in yellow, that performing the Rosary Rap was not planned, Michalitsch laughs. However, his papal visit could certainly serve as inspiration for young people: "You can reach the head of the Church with new music if you truly believe in it." Now the artist dreams of giving a Rosary Rap concert in St. Peter's Square.

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