Video of three-year-old Colombian boy 'celebrating' Mass becomes online hit

A video of a three-year-old Colombian boy dressed in priestly garments celebrating Mass has become an online hit.

Samuel Jaramillo, who is an orphan, lives with his grandmother and aunt in the city of Medellin, the Catholic News Agency reports.

A video of the young boy, called “pequeño sacerdote” (little priest) pretending to celebrate mass which was posted by family members on YouTube has clocked up over 500,000 views.

His family told reporters he asked Santa Claus for “priest’s clothes” and the objects necessary to “celebrate” Mass, instead of toys.

“It’s not something we’ve pushed upon him and it’s not as if we’re avid churchgoers.” Samuel’s aunt Elizabeth Rojas Arango told Colombia’s Rumba radio.

Jaramillo goes to Mass every Sunday and on Tuesdays with his grandmother, Rosa Eva Arango.

In a reflection published by El Colombiano, Father Daniel Monsalve noted Jaramillo’s “passion for what he says and the tenderness that inspires him” in the videos.

“Amid a changing world that is at times indifferent to religious matters, this child appears as a testimony of love for God and fascination for sacred celebrations, most certainly fostered by those who care for him and by the priest of his parish,” Fr. Monsalve wrote.