Divine Word Missionary priest, Fr Elmer Ibarra, has taken to the airwaves as a disc jockey, hosting a late night radio program in New Zealand, in which he plays Filipino music and reaches out to the Filipino community of Wellington.

The show is called “Late Nights with DJ Elmo” and can be heard on community station, Hutt Radio 106.1 FM in the Hutt Valley and Wellington district.

Fr Elmer, who was born and raised in the Philippines, before being assigned to the Australian Province of the Divine Word Missonaries, says his foray into radio is a chance to fulfil a longstanding love of radio and music.

“Radio and music have been passions of mine even before the priesthood,” he says.

“I’ve never done anything like this before, but I have friends who are disc jockeys on the radio and I have visited them at their radio stations at times, and I just love listening to the radio, whether at home or in the car.”

Fr Elmer says he volunteered to host the Filipino program once a week and was delighted when station manager Michael Dickinson agreed.

“They already have programming for Maori, Tokelauan, Cook Island, Samoan and Indian communities, so I guess it’s the right time to also have a Filipino program,” he says.

The show will not only play music from the Philippines, but also promote various events of the Filipino community, like concerts, sports, and cultural and religious events around the Hutt Valley and Wellington City.

“Music and radio are my passion and I’ve wanted to try this for a long time,” he says. “My hopes are that I will also attract other people to join me, so that the Filipino program will continue even when I leave. I hope it will be an avenue to connect the Filipino community around Wellington.”

Fr Elmer, whose primary ministry is as parish priest of St Patrick’s Parish, Wainuiomata, says that being a DJ for a radio program will fit well with his life as a Divine Word Missionary.

“Even though the show is not religious in nature, I think by being present on radio, I may be able to promote the SVD and to introduce to people the idea that priests can work on radio,” he says.

“Eventually, if given the opportunity, I may be able to host a radio show that is religious in nature to be able to reach out to people who are faith seekers.

“I also hope this experience on radio will give me the experience and the technical knowledge to be able to participate in the communications apostolate of the Province in the future.”