I am from England originally; my mother is from Naples, and my father is English. I owe my birth to the war. My mother, who was injured, was hitchhiking and asked for help from a soldier, my father, who happened to be passing by….
Whenever I’m on the train, I begin to pray right away: the Breviary, the Rosary…. In that way I’m available for others, because when I finish. if I look at anyone in the eyes…it’s all over! Because normally whoever is sitting across from me is eager to talk. Once the person beside me fell asleep on my shoulder; when he woke up, he looked at me at said: “But, are you a priest?” “Yes,” I told him; “isn’t it obvious?” Well, then, could you hear my confession?” “Of course,” I told him as I got up. “But not here; let’s look for a quiet place.”
I’ve often been asked for confession on the train. One day it was very foggy around Milan. We couldn’t move for several hours. So with four or five people, we organized a day of recollection, right there on the train.
In this journey of life, there is no stopping, but you have to adapt as you travel forward. One can get on Facebook… If you don’t have email, you aren’t part of the modern world. Life is made up of these kinds of things. But you have to remember that they are only instruments. We are made for personal contact with people. On the train it’s clear that people are looking for personal conversation.
The best place to pray is in church, in front of a tabernacle. But this can also be my “cell.” A railroad car can also be a wonderful place to talk with God.
Oh, and something else about my family: it has ties to the world of soccer—my uncle was the famous manager of Manchester United. Have you heard of him? He was first manager, and later president until the late ‘80s: Matt Busby. The famous Sir Matt Busby.
