As a priest, Father Marcelo Rossi became a phenomenon of the mass media culture in the late 1990s. He began an intensive and enthusiastic work of preaching the Gospel, winning over the faithful who attended his Masses in the Parish of Perpétuo Socorro e Santa Rosalia, in Santo Amaro, São Paulo. As a result of the rapidly increasing turnout at his Masses, the celebrations were carried out in larger and larger spaces until he came to use the Avenue of the United Nations in São Paulo and even football stadiums like
Maracanã and the
Morumbi, as "headquarters" of his Masses on days of preaching and praying. Rossi has become by far the biggest Christian artistic phenomenon in Latin America with over 11 million albums sold throughout his entire career. He is known for his choreographies of
Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) movement, and the publication of works (CDs, DVDs, film and television). By dint of singing, dancing and doing choreographies in crowded liturgies and TV shows, Father Marcelo Rossi aims to bring people together to Christ's message and the Church's teaching in an original yet modern and light way. He has recorded nine albums since 1998, regularly appears on TV shows, has his radio program with more than 100,000 listeners across the country and his church services out in the open attract thousands of faithful believers. In 1998 he decided to break into the music market and recorded several songs live on a CD entitled "Músicas para Louvar ao Senhor" (and the Spanish version "Canciones para alabar al Señor"). In 1999 he released his second CD "Um presente para Jesus", and in 2000, "Canções para um Novo Milênio". In 2001, he launched the album Paz by Universal Music, which became the eighth best selling album of that year and won him a nomination for a
Latin Grammy in 2002, year in which he released an album entitled Anjos by
Sony Music. It turned out to be the fourteenth biggest-selling album of that year. On 31 March 2002, during the celebration of Easter, Father Marcelo Rossi was appointed as Rector of the Santuário do Terço Bizantino in Jurubatuba – Santo Amaro, São Paulo state. In 2003 he produced his sixth CD and made his first film "Maria, Mãe do Filho de Deus" which was a successful one In 2004 he launched his second film, "Irmãos de Fé" which was also very successful. The year 2006 was marked by the release of the album Minha Benção by
Sony BMG. It was the biggest selling album of that year, getting diamond certification and triple platinum. The album Minha Benção was also the biggest selling album of 2007, and in the same year the album Momento de Fé para uma Vida Melhor was released which was the twelfth best selling album of that year. In 2008, two were the albums that reached positions among the top sellers, which called themselves, Paz Sim, Violência Não – Volume 1 and Paz Sim, Violência Não – Volume 2, reaching the second and sixth positions among the top sellers that year; volume 1 was certified in 2008 as double platinum in 2009 was certified as triple platinum. In the same year the DVD Paz Sim – Violência Não (Volume 1) was the best-selling, according to the
ABPD and received double platinum certification. On 21 October 2010 Father Marcelo Rossi received from the hands of
Pope Benedict XVI the "Cardinal Van Thuan Prize – Solidarity and Development 2010" – in recognition for his dedication to Catholicism as modern evangelizer. In October 2011 he opened in the outskirts of South São Paulo an ecclesiastical center that contains the largest Catholic church in Latin America. It can welcome up to 100,000 people, 25,000 within the church with cantilever roof and 75,000 outside on an area of 30 hectares. Father Marcelo Rossi currently performs live at 6 am every Sunday Mass in Your Home broadcast by Rede Globo television, and at 09:00 am the Mass is shown again on the website www.padremarcelorossi.com.br. He also takes part in the Life Network every Saturday at 15 hours Mass Sanctuary Mother of God, which also features the Byzantine Rosary program. On Radio Globo from 9 to 10 hours from Monday to Saturday he conducts Faith Moment Program – considered by many journalists as an audience phenomenon of modern radio, with more than 3 million listeners / minute across the country. He suffered an accident while exercising on a treadmill and was forced to conduct the celebration of 9 May on the banks of the Guarapiranga Reservoir, São Paulo, in a wheelchair. Throughout his convalescence he drew inspiration for writing his recent books: "Agape" and "Kairos" which sold more than 10 million and 2 million copies respectively, reaching record sales in
Editora Globo's history and currently Rossi is in first place in the ranking of best-selling books in Brazil, according to Veja magazine. surpassing the "Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown and all the books of the saga "Twilight". All proceeds from the book are donated to the construction of the Santuário da Mãe de Deus Theotokos. He preaches at the
Santuário do Terço Bizantino to huge and enthusiastic crowds, and has promoted the use of the so-called
Byzantine rosary for praying. In 2003, one of his Masses, celebrated at
soccer stadium, was held for the fourteen
NASA astronauts who lost their lives in the
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster 17 years earlier on 28 January 1986 and the more recent
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, and had more than 70,000 attendees. ==Controversies==