Drawing the connection between war and faith, Briganti said his Easter Sunday services beckoned the largest crowd he had seen in three decades.

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Philip Briganti was a voice of comfort for families at Fort Bliss Army post whose loved ones will never come home from Iraq.

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Growing up, Briganti said, he had sometimes considered joining the military, following in the footsteps of his father, a World War II veteran.

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"I'm expected to be there where the soldiers are, " said Briganti, who was deployed with troops to Kuwait in 1996 and Egypt in 1990.

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As head of religious operations at the sprawling 12, 000-soldier post in El Paso, Texas, Briganti's mission is to provide religious support to soldiers and their families.

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"I reached some of my lowest lows and also some of my most joyful moments, " said Briganti, 56, who became a Catholic priest 30 years ago.

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Criolo made his first European tour this summer, performing to mostly modest-size audiences in London, Paris, Milan, Rome and Denmark, and this year found a British label, Sterns Music, to represent him, said Ale Briganti, his international tour manager.

WSJ: Brazilian Rapper Criolo: From Favela to Summerfest