9th October 2011 - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Rvd Deacon Nick Donnelly

In a slightly different format to our usual programme format, this week's programme featured an hour-long interview with Reverend Nick Donnelly. Rev Nick Donnelly is a permanent deacon of the Diocese of Lancaster,and an author for the Catholic Truth Society. He holds a BA Divinity in Theology and is studying for his Masters at the Maryvale Institute. He is also on the Editorial Team of The Catholic Voice of Lancaster, the newspaper of the Diocese of Lancaster.

He is also the founder of www.protectthepope.com, a website thatwas set up in the run up to Pope Benedict’s state visit to the UK in September 2010 as a direct response to the unprecedented level of hostility, ridicule and ill-will from certain public figures, sections of the press and blogs against the Holy Father and the Catholic Church.

Deacon Nick shares some of his incredible story with us... how his faith had helped him cope with chronic pain and illness from an early age and how despite his ill-health he was able to study theology with Maryvale Institute at the same time as preparing to be ordained as a married Permanent Deacon for the Church. Deacon Nick tells us why he set up the Protect the Pope website and the importance of honest dialogue on matters of the faith. He shares with us the lead up to the beatification of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman in the UK last year and how, through God's grace, and the intercession of Blessed Cardinal Newman and Blessed Pope John Paul II, he was healed. Deacon Nick speaks of the Catholic understanding of suffering and healing and especially of persevering in prayer.

Podcast is now available.