After 60 years of active ministry, retired priest Canon Hugh White is continuing to share his faith and experiences through a new podcast.
It draws on his many years as a priest, offering personal reflections on the Church, the people he has encountered and the lessons he has learned along the way.
Having previously recorded video reflections for Advent and Lent, he was encouraged by his family to consider making a podcast.
“They said, ‘You’ve got a wealth of experience, and especially of stories.’ I’m more a talker than a writer and they suggested I do a podcast. I had no clue what they were talking about!”
His niece Jenny Rothwell White encouraged him to keep the recordings conversational and personal and listeners can also expect plenty of personal anecdotes, humour and reflections on Scripture.
Canon Hugh’s ministry has taken him across Scotland and further afield, including America, Africa and continental Europe.
He now lives in Bathgate, the town where he was baptised (1940) and ordained (1963).
He is known to many clergy in his role as professor at the former seminary in Drygrange from 1968-1979.
Parishes he has served include St Matthew’s in Rosewell, Our Lady of Consolation in Bonnyrigg, St Margaret’s in Gorebridge and St John the Baptist in Fauldhouse. Canon Hugh retired from active ministry in 2021 aged 81.
His work has also included delivering retreats and conferences, and helping develop programmes for adult faith formation.
He played a significant role in introducing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and the RENEW programme to the Archdiocese.
These experiences will provide plenty of material for future episodes. “I’ll talk about changes in the Church that affected me and people that I’ve met that influenced me, made an impact on me, what I picked up from them and how they challenged me.
“I will pepper everything with stories, the Bible will come in a lot, because that was what I was living and teaching.”
Canon Hugh hopes the podcast will allow him to continue contributing to the life of the Church.
“I can’t supply as a priest any longer, but maybe I could supply some background for the folks and still preach the Word in a kind of personal way, and in a way that helps them.”
Listen to Canon Hugh White’s podcast here.
