The Commission

If I did the coding right, if you click on the picture, you should see a video of Fr. Roderick opening the parcel I had sent him. (If that doesn't work, try clicking here to watch.)

I had commissioned a drawing of Fr Roderick from my friend, Dave Myers, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Fr Roderick's ordination to the priesthood. (Click here to visit his blog.) When Dave delivered the drawing to me, I was blown away by it. The way he chose to depict Fr Roderick was so... well, right!

This picture depicts Fr Roderick in St Peter's Square, holding his trusty H2 digital recorder. He got his start in podcasting in St Peter's Square back in 2005, when he was there in the last days of Bl. Pope John Paul II's life. His recordings became the basis of a podcast, Catholic Insider.

Today, Fr Roderick, who is a priest in the Archdiocese of Utrecht in the Netherlands, is the founder and CEO of SQPN.com, the Star Quest Production Network, which is a multimedia organization specializing in the production of audio and video programs faithful to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. SQPN produces on-demand audio and video programs, also known as podcasts, and offers a portal for a select number of affiliated Catholic podcasters that share the vision and media strategy of SQPN.

(I also happen to be one of SQPN's podcasters, sitting on the panel of Secrets of Harry Potter.)

I was very happy to do this for Fr Roderick, and wish him many blessings upon his ministry.