Padre's Hour - Radio Maria England

First Broadcast 14 – 19 December 2020

The third of three special programmes with Stella Maris (formerly known as The Apostleship of the Sea) on its work with seafarers.

Padre's Hour - Episode 30 - Stella Maris - Limited Podcast

The second of three special programmes with Stella Maris (formerly known as The Apostleship of the Sea) on its work with seafarers.

Originall Boradcast 30 November – 5 December 2020 - Episode 29

The first of three special programmes with Stella Maris (formerly known as The Apostleship of the Sea) on its work with seafarers.

Stella Maris

Stella Maris is the largest ship-visiting network in the world and the official Maritime charity of the Catholic Church, which supports Seafarers, Fishers, and their families.  Seafarers are often away from their families and communities for months at a time, and life at sea can be difficult.  They can often suffer from loneliness, depression, spiritual deprivation and even exploitation, but Stella Maris aims to provide a ‘friend in every port’ for seafarers and fishers.  This 100-year-old charity extends friendship and welcome from chaplains and volunteers and visits hundreds of thousands of seafarers and fishers every year to provide help and support in many ways, be it ensuring that their rights are upheld, or simply being a listening ear or someone to chat to.  They organise mass onboard ships and also provide practical help such as organising Wi-Fi onboard so seafarers can call home.  The Mission statement of Stella Maris is: ‘Our mission is to support seafarers and fishers spiritually, practically, and emotionally. Our Catholic faith is at the heart of Stella Maris, it inspires, enlivens, and motivates our work, and is expressed through a loving care of the people of the sea of all faiths and none’.  For more information please visit stellamaris.org.uk

Padre's Hour - Stella Maris Episode - Julian Wong

This is an episode from 2020 - which was originally broadcast August 24th - 29th.

This week in PADRE’S HOUR Fr Sam Randall interviews Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow OBE, founder and Chief Executive of Mary’s Meals, the charity that seeks to feed the hungriest children around the world. Mary’s Meals is a global movement supported by people from many walks of life and different backgrounds. Their mission is to bring together people’s skills, time, financial support or prayer through involvement with this important work, with the aim of providing the most effective help to those suffering the effects of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest communities.

Magnus shares how Mary’s Meals came into being after a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, a profound family conversion and then aid work to war-stricken Bosnia. Over a period of some years Magnus’ aid work evolved into Mary’s Meals, which is a profound work of God and a fruit of prayer. In Malawi Magnus met a young 14 year old boy called Edward whose mother was dying and asked him his dreams which amounted to having enough food to eat and going to school – and so Mary’s Meals was born. A meal a day at school, purchased locally and prepared for by volunteers, therefore encouraging school attendance and a way out of the poverty cycle, as well as supporting the local economy and community. It costs only £15.90 to feed a child for a whole year. Find out more about their vital work and how to get involved: www.marysmeals.org Mary’s Meals is thousands of small acts of love coming together to make a difference and we can all be part of this incredible mission.

For Padre’s Hour this week, June 28th, Fr. Sam is sharing an interview that Genevieve Wedgbury, presenter for Women Together on Radio Maria, had with Professor Robert Thomas. Father Sam is very proud of our Women Together Series that looks at our Christian Life from all aspects, faith, prayer, business, family life and health.  This week’s episode, Women Together will be discussing breast cancer during their Live Show on Thursday, July 1st.  Profesor Robert Thomas was to be part of this week’s show, but he has so much great advise and knowledge to share for how we can take care of ourselves, our bodies, our temples for Christ that he wanted to make sure that we shared it with as many listeners as we can.

Professor Robert Thomas MRCP MD FRCR trained as a cancer doctor at the Royal Marsden Hospital and is now a Consultant Oncologist at the Primrose Oncology Unit, Bedford and Addenbrooke’s, Cambridge University Hospital Trusts, specialising in the treatment of breast, bowel and prostate cancer. He is a Professor of exercise and biological science at the University of Bedfordshire and a regular teacher at Cambridge University. He is author of the books “How to Live” and “Keep-healthy after cancer” He is editor of the patient cancer and lifestyle website cancernet.co.uk and advises many of the UK charities on their information materials including the website keep-healthy.com.  In 2001 he was voted Hospital Doctor Magazine “Doctor of the Year” and in 2007 The British Oncology Association “Oncologist of the Year”.

Padre's Hour - Episode 51

Fr Sam talks to Elisa Alberto of Loretto HOME London - a new house of the Catholic Charismatic Loretto Movement, founded in Austria in 1987.  The Loretto community serves the Catholic Church and is accredited by the Austrian Episcopal Conference with Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn as patron and friend of the community. The Loretto community came to London in 2019 and now has around 45 members with many more involved. The Loretto HOME, a residential house situated in Twickenham in SW London, is a place of community, formation, encounter, hospitality, prayer and service. Elisa talks about the founding of Loretto in England, her passion about helping young people blossom and her hopes for the the future.

Padre's Hour - 51 - Rec. Chris Vipers

Fr. Sam Randall speaks to Reverend Chris Vipers, Director of Evangelism for the Diocese of Westminster.  He shares a bit of his past, the joys of of serving in parishes and his hopes for the post-pandemic world of evangelisation.

In this episode Father Sam Randel, priest director, speaks to head of press and information for Aid to the Church in Need John Pontifex. Over the past two decades John has reported on human rights abuses of Christians in places such as Syria, Iraq and Pakistan. 

On this week’s Padre’s Hour, Fr. Sam speaks to Fr. Adrian Graffy.  With all the focus on the Bible recently this year and during the time, he thought it would be a good idea to have a Biblical expert on the show.  Fr. Adrian Graffy is a Scripture scholar and parish priest at Christ The Eternal High Priest, Gidea Park, director of the website What Good News.org and also a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.  In 1902, Pope Leo XIII assigned a threefold task to the new institution: a) to promote biblical study effectively among Catholics; b) to counteract erroneous opinions regarding Sacred Scripture by scientific means, and c) to study and illuminate debated questions and emerging problems in the biblical field.

Fr. Adrian also shares how his parish as been facing the challenges during the pandemic and the hopes he has as England begins to lessen the restrictions of lockdown.

To find out more about the publication of What Is Man? A Journey Through Biblical Anthropology by The Pontifical Biblical Commission, please check out Darton, Longman and Todd’s Website

We do encourage you to visit and explore Fr. Adrian Graffy’s website. www.whatgoodnews.org