Pause for Prayer

I came to work bright and early this morning, hoping to accomplish several tasks in the course of the day. I asked two of my male colleagues to record some passages from Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict for a programme I’m making. I need a man’s voice on this particular occasion…but neither of [...]

Superabundant wild flowers flanked the path through the fields yesterday as I walked towards Assisi, the magnificent Basilica of San Francesco straight ahead. Birds sang in the hot sunshine that bathed the surrounding hills. Surely much of all that I was seeing had changed little, if anything, since the days when Francis and Clare also [...]

“God has gifted me with so much!” Those were my thoughts during yesterday’s Mass in St. Paul’s basilica as I looked around the little chapel. The monks were chanting the pasalms in their lovely Gregorian chant. The early morning light showed the newly-restored frescoes to their best advantage, and there I was, at the Eucharist, [...]

There’s a great deal of similarity between mere mortals and the leaves on the trees around Rome at this present time.
The leaves are slowly heading towards Autumn, gradually losing their bright green as colours darken towards the varied brown and gold that will clothe the trees entirely in a few weeks time.
Last night many trees [...]

The transatlantic slave trade has been occupying my working hours during the past few days. I’m in the process of making a four programme series for Vatican Radio and it really has been very interesting and enjoyable, even though the subject itself is pretty grim.

Looking back to my days in Zambia, I will never forget [...]