Pedro came to Salt+Light Television after being the artistic director for World Youth Day 2002, which meant he was responsible for all the artistic programming. He has a background in the performing arts: theatre, music and dance, holds a B.F.A. from York University and has been working with young people since he was a teenager himself. For 8 years he was a youth worker and job coach at Covenant House, where he developed a passion for serving the most vulnerable and the voice-less (something which has translated easily into his passion for pro-life issues). He has also been a youth leader with the Children’s International Summer Villages and Confirmation retreat facilitator for many groups.

Pedro has been a music minister for over 25 years, most recently directing the Children’s Choir at Our Lady of Lourdes, in Toronto. Pedro is also a dynamic youth speaker and workshop facilitator, having been to many schools for various talks. His most popular topics have to do with love, sex, relationships and marriage (as he loves JPII's Theology of the Body). Other topics include vocations, and the culture and media. Recently he spoke to Hamilton Right to Life on the anti-life bias of the media.

He loves the opportunity to MC events, and has been invited to do so many times, including the International Festival of Religious Song, the Toronto Archdiocesan Youth Day Rally and the Proud 2B Catholic Festival, Toronto.

Pedro is the producer/director for A People of Life (2008), Turning the Tide: Dignity, Compassion and Euthanasia (2007); Lives in the Balance (2006); INRI (2006); Thank You, John Paul II (2005). He is also the producer of In Your Faith (2004, 2010), as well as many Catholic Focus episodes, and the concert series Openings. He and is the producer and host of Salt + Light Radio for the Catholic Channel on Sirius satellite and XM Radios and also produces and hosts Perspectives: The Weekly Edition, every Friday on S+L TV.

Currently, Pedro is in production for the new S+L TV series, A Day in A Life (working title), which looks at the lives of various religious communities and Church leaders. He is also developing a pre-school-age series, Hello God, and the new Salt + Light Radio program for the Catholic Channel on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Currently, Pedro is in pre-production for a project looking at the work of Catholic Missions, to be in production later this Spring, and for a documentary looking at the Catholic teaching on the Ecology to be released at the end of 2011.

Originally from Panama, Pedro is a parishioner at Saint Elizabeth Seton Parish in Newmarket and lives north of Toronto, with his beautiful wife, Sheri, their two sons, Nicolas and Daniel and Max, their dog.

In Pedro's own words:

"I wanted to be a private investigator, a forest ranger, a paramedic, a forensic doctor… so I settled for being an actor. I also always wanted to travel and once I even wished one day I would win the Nobel Peace Prize. I always saw myself as a Grandfather. That was never a question. I wanted to have a family: to be a Dad and then a Granddad with lots of Grandkids."

"I spent a lot of time watching TV - and my role models would have been Starsky and Hutch, Quincy or Grizzly Adams. There were several good priests in my life growing up who influenced me greatly by showing me how cool the Church can be - to that I can add my grandmother - she was a pretty cool and classy lady."

" I know I should say David Naglieri as one of my modern day heroes - but in truth I don't really think of others as role models. There are great people whom I look up to. I've had some great professors and some great supervisors - I've worked with excellent directors and have some very good friends whom I wouldn't trade for anything - but heroes? I don’t know. I look up to Jean Vanier and I admire greatly the work and approach of John Paul II. I also admire people who stand up to injustice and do something to make the world a better place: like Mother Teresa, Ghandi, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desomnd Tutu. There are also great authors like M. Scott Peck and Madeleine L'Engle whose ideas I respect greatly."

"I have done A LOT of community service. I used to volunteer for Amnesty International, Children's International Summer Villages, Covenant House, youth ministry and music ministry at OLOL. Now I spend time with my wife and kids. I suspect that I will continue to do community service when the time is right.

"About my favourite movies and music: It's a Wonderful Life - the Star Wars Trilogy (the new ones are not bad) - E.T., and of course, The Princess Bride!

Music - I listen to pretty much everything except heavy metal. I love (still) Amy Grant and Ruben Blades. Some of my favourite Catholic Artists are Sarah Hart, Magda Aniol, Hermana Glenda, Martin Valverde and John Michael Talbot."

"We have some pretty good stories from working on WYD2002. But those will have to wait… Recently I had the oddest experience at work, in the middle of a Catholic Focus shoot: I got emotional talking about JPII and his love for young people. I know that his example moved me, but it surprised me that I was moved so much."

"In Elementary and High School I was the funny one. In theatre school I was known as really intense - David Naglieri and John "Iggy" say I am a “straight-shooter”: I say it like it is. But why don’t we just settle for “The really, cool, amazing, wise one?”

"One phrase I use far too often is: "Hello, I'm Pedro and this is Catholic Focus! If I had to summarize my life in 30 words or less, I would say: "Born in Panama; youngest of two sisters and one brother; I had a great childhood; lot's of good memories and friends; studied lots of music; started singing in Church at age 12; left when I was 16 to go to BC. From there came to Toronto to go to York theatre; Did the acting thing; taught actors; worked at Covenant House; Worked for WYD2002 (loved it - changed my life); married the most amazing and beautiful woman in the world; have two great kids with her."

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