In September, he became active on Instagram and after a few weeks, he already had ten thousand followers. Many young people can also receive the sacrament from the Greeks.
Catholic’s small village of Staškovce near Stropkovo. With short, funny videos, he destroys prejudices about priests and brings people closer to the Greek Catholic faith.
Miroslav Hamarčák (31) talks about what it’s like to work on his Instagram Eastpriest with his wife, about his daughter Majka, who was born with Down syndrome, but also about whether priests should talk about their failures.
We also talked about why priests should evangelize differently nowadays, whether they should go to people outside the temples as well, and what he would ask Jesus if he could ask him just one question.
He and his wife Mária are raising three children.
You published your first post on your Instagram in mid-September, in October you already have more than 10,000 followers, i.e. those who follow you. Did it surprise you?
We did not expect that. When we decided to give the introduction video, we wanted to test whether it all worked.
And paradoxically, about three thousand followers came through the first video. At that moment, we thought there was probably no going back.
As it is written in God’s word: when you put your hand to the plow, don’t look back. So we experienced this with an influx of followers really in an extremely short time.
It happens in our life that God invites us to different things, and as soon as we step into them, that’s when the blessing comes. Many things then fit together like a puzzle. This is what we experienced – one day we didn’t know how the next day we decided and it worked.
If you had told me a month ago that we would be sitting here solving Instagram, I would have laughed. It’s still a huge shock to me.
You create Instagram with your wife. How do you work together?
I think that in this creation we experience it as in married life. Two people who form a couple in a marriage bond may look at the world with different views but with the goal of walking in the same direction.
This also happens on my profile – I have a completely different view of the world, I often perceive things through the lens of the priesthood or theological school. It takes away from the simplicity of my speech.
My wife loves simple speech. In this, he encourages me to make the content more understandable and contemporary.
I’ve experienced a crisis more than once that I didn’t want to make a video or answer questions. I asked if it all made sense.
At that time, the wife often came up with a huge idea, with enthusiasm. She urged me again to go, to evangelize further.
It was not for nothing that God sent the apostles two at a time. A person can be blown in different directions by himself, he can suddenly believe a fiction, a delusion. But if he has a person who adjusts the mirror for him, the probability that he would fly away is lower.
The impetus for creating an Instagram account came from my theological days as part of the gospel group Anastasis. I was introduced to the concept of “new evangelization” through events like the Ways of the Cross, concerts, and paths of light, which offered alternative ways to share the message of God. This desire to spread the word in innovative ways remained with me and eventually evolved into my service as a priest and chaplain.
The birth of our daughter Majka, who has Down syndrome, reignited our desire to share the Gospel. Around that time, my wife also discovered the potential of social media and video production, which many non-profits use to spread their message.
We started making videos from a family perspective, and over time, I’ve seen how God has used these videos to shape and equip my wife and me for evangelism. Do you know who follows you? Who would you like to reach on Instagram? I joke that my target audience is anyone who comes across our profile and shows interest. It’s not limited to Christians or young people but includes all who seek God.
Our audience is diverse, encompassing people of various faiths, nationalities, and age groups, including those unfamiliar with the Greek Catholic Church. Our goal is to approach faith with a critical eye, seeking truth rather than mere criticism. Many Roman Catholics are also unaware that Greek Catholics are part of the Catholic Church and that they can receive sacraments from Greek Catholics and attend their temples. Many are surprised that I have a ring on my finger, that I have a wife and children.
For believers in eastern Slovakia, the coexistence of Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic churches in their villages often leads to attending both masses and liturgies. However, what may surprise me is that Bratislava, a region unfamiliar with the term Greek Catholic, has the highest following, according to Instagram statistics.
Should modern priests also act as influencers, sharing their message beyond the temple? Historically, authority figures such as mayors, doctors, teachers, and priests influenced public opinion. In this sense, priests have always been influencers, shaping the lives of their parishioners through positive guidance
.Authority figures like mayors, doctors, and teachers are no longer held in the same esteem as they were in the past. Their authority is now more frequently questioned. The relative anonymity of social media allows people to express opinions that might not have been voiced previously.
Resistance and disagreement with my actions should be constructive, not destructive, evoking thoughtful responses, whether positive or negative. Critical thinking is essential in today’s world, as we often accept information uncritically. While it’s necessary to approach faith with a critical eye, this doesn’t mean criticizing everything, but rather seeking truth.
What do you think people expect from a priest today?
The people I meet expect only one thing from a priest – that he be human.
So that he is not just someone distant on a pedestal, at the altar, far from them, or in the pulpit, but is a person who experiences the struggles and pains that life brings. To be someone who walks with the people.
This is what the synod wants to direct us to, Pope Francis directs us priests in his letters to not be someone who walks away from the people, in front or to the side, but someone who is part of the flock.
Should a priest speak openly about his own failures? You have one video, that concerns your daughter Majka with Down syndrome and you called it The Biggest Fall.
Certainly yes. By often pretending to be perfect people in the church, we do not present our weaknesses, so then we move away from the word of God, in which the apostle Paul also says: In what else should I boast, if not in my weaknesses.
As priests, we often forget that seeking fame and recognition contradicts our true purpose. We strive to shine brightly, convincing ourselves we’ll never fail. However, the Bible tells us that true greatness comes from acknowledging our failures and vulnerabilities, allowing God’s grace to shine through our weaknesses.
With daughter Majka.
Do you think tackling sensitive topics on Instagram is a good idea? I’m considering a post about priests’ salaries, a topic often shrouded in misconception. Many assume priests earn a fortune, but the reality is far from it.
Do you follow priests or Christians who share their faith on social media? I follow some priests from our Greek Catholic Church, but I also draw inspiration from more mainstream profiles to stay relatable to a younger audience. Your video about not spitting for good luck caught my attention. This superstition is still prevalent, particularly among older generations. Do you encounter this often?
I have to say that as a priest they also spit on children. I actually experience it. (smile)
How do you react to that?
When possible and if the person is receptive, I try to guide them. Otherwise, I pray that God sees my good intentions. I often tell people that they likely haven’t seen my video. Interestingly, many young people share my videos with their grandmothers. Recently, I was preaching at an event when a lady exclaimed, “It’s that TikToker!” I couldn’t help but laugh. Even the elderly, who you might not expect to be on social media, can be reached through Instagram.
Priest Martin Mekel from the Greek Catholic Roma Mission Romas does not feel comfortable in churches. We would like to integrate them into the Gadžov church, but that is not very possible
Which question from your followers has most interested or surprised you so far?
What would I ask Jesus if I had the chance to ask him just one question? I thought about it for a very long time, since God revealed many things to us through God’s word and the tradition of the church.
I’m still thinking about it.
It’s a question I’ve pondered – why my daughter was born with Down syndrome? I’d love a straightforward answer. But if someone told me to ask Jesus now, I’d feel even more pressure. As a person of faith, I know why she’s the way she is. Her diagnosis opened doors that would’ve otherwise remained closed for us, like our Instagram profile. But when I first learned of her diagnosis, did I process it as a priest or just as a regular person?A person always knows how to think like a priest, he knows how to separate it in himself.
On the one hand, a person experiences a personality crisis, some kind of pain that permeates and interferes with the priestly vocation.
On the other hand, in principle we can say what we should do. What is God’s plan in this? What we often tell people as priests, I had the opportunity to experience myself.
Many times we try to support other people who are going through some kind of pain, for example from the loss of a loved one or from not being able to have children, or from having a disabled child, or from being abandoned by a spouse.
As a priest, I’ve found that offering unsolicited advice can be misguided. What people often need most is not guidance, but someone to walk alongside them and listen. Even I didn’t know how to navigate my own struggles. What I needed was someone to share the burden, not offer solutions. Sometimes, our eagerness to help can lead us to give unwanted advice. In those moments, it’s essential to remember that being present can be the greatest help of all.
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You said in the video that you prayed for your daughter’s miraculous recovery. Should a Christian have in his equipment to pray and believe that his prayers will always be answered? So what if it doesn’t happen, as in your case?
The problem is our attitude towards prayer as people of faith. We often look at prayer as something to change God’s will.
If we want to change God’s will with our prayer, then we are indirectly insulting God, since we are saying that as a loving father, he does not want the best for us.
At the same time, we have the idea that what we think and what we ask for is better than what God gives us. This means that we actually doubt his will.
As a result, our prayer is not what it should be, i.e. in full dedication. Therein lies the whole key.
Sometimes we actually experience praying for something for years and not seeing any result. Not because God doesn’t want to give it to us, but because it’s not the best for us.
When I project this into my relationship with my children, as a father I see that the child craves candy. And I try to give it to him, but maybe at a different time than he wants.
God knows best what we need and when.
So how to look at the events that will meet us? If a person is affected by a serious illness, the death of a loved one, infertility, loneliness… Is it a cross, as Christians often understand it, or, on the contrary, a blessing?
I wouldn’t look at it that way.
If we have a loving father and we imagine that the loving father will give us cancer, then that is actually a terrifying view of that loving father.
God does not want to raise us this way.
Jesus did not wait, he went to meet.
And this is what we as priests should do.
Diseases, hunger, or wars are just a natural consequence of the fact that we live in a world where God, through the gift of free will he entrusted to us, does not have full control over how we will choose things.
Many times it is sin that is here in the world, and in this sinful state, diseases, weaknesses, imperfections, falls, wars, and failures are completely natural.
What did Mother give you personally? As a father and a priest?
To be honest, this topic deserves a separate conversation. The impact she had on our lives is immense.Before meeting her, both my wife and I had limited interactions with people with disabilities. We had unknowingly built walls around ourselves, unsure of how to approach or react to them. As a priest, I’m ashamed to admit I was guilty of this as well.
It’s a realistic concern that someone who gains success on Instagram might eventually let pride take over, making their self-presentation all about their ego. How can one avoid this trap? It’s essential to distinguish between self-presentation and ego.
Self-presentation is essential if one goes to any social network, Instagram. My goal is to show myself, and my family in the context of being normal people. That we are an ordinary married couple, an ordinary family, and at the same time we carry a priestly vocation.
