Episode 1: No, Father, and we could use you

Episode DescriptorBefore the towers fell, Tim Dobbins was already moving toward the centre of the storm. What happened next is not just an untold 9/11 story - it's a firsthand account of how trauma, service, and grace collided at Ground Zero, and why that history still matters now. Philip Patrick and Tim Dobbins open Grace at Ground Zero with a deeply personal conversation that begins with friendship and ends at the steps of St. Paul’s Chapel, where Tim arrives as a first responder to the first responders. Along the way, he shares never-before-published photographs, the moment he realised New York was under attack, and the decision to put on his clerical collar and head south into the chaos.In This Episode You’ll discover:How Tim read the morning in real time as the second plane hit.Why Father Michael Judge’s death became a defining spiritual turning point.What it meant to serve at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Chelsea Piers as trauma response was being organised.How a chance blind date, a seminarian, and a National Guard escort all became part of one extraordinary day.Why Tim’s guiding principle - "what we don't transform, we will transmit" - sits at the heart of this series.Show NotesPhilip brings the perspective of a longtime friend and former Random House colleague who knew Tim before the story was ever told. Tim brings the lived experience of a priest, chaplain, and trauma worker who has spent decades helping others through crisis - and now, for the first time, is telling his own.This episode is about more than memory. It’s about the human cost of terror, the hidden labor of first responders, and the possibility of healing after devastation. If you’ve ever lived through loss, carried trauma, or wondered how meaning survives catastrophe, this is where the conversation begins.Essential listening for anyone drawn to 9/11 history, spiritual resilience, trauma recovery, and stories of grace under unimaginable pressure.Grace At Ground ZeroHosted by The Reverend Timothy Dobbins with Philip Patrick.A Jonsan Media Production.WebsitesGrace At Ground Zero WebsiteJonsan Media WebsiteCreditsPodcast Producer: John McBlainCreative Director: Barbara BrunsClinical Advisor: Anne Freund, Ph.D.Website Production: Matthew DobbinsClip Photographer: Antonio LittlesMusic: Air des Musettes by Andre Campra.Recorded by Barbara Bruns and Thompson Brass Ensemble.Copyright © 2014 Barbara Bruns and Philip Swanson.All photos Copyright © 2026 Timothy DobbinsExcept "A Priest at Ground Zero" and "Churchyard" by Harald Franzen Copyright © 2026 Harald Franzen. Reproduced with permission.Thank you: Molly Coffin, Allison Miller Dobbins, Bill Bruns, Dan Dobbins, John Dobbins.The Grace at Ground Zero Podcast is produced by Timothy Dobbins and Philip Patrick. Copyright © 2026 by Timothy Dobbins and Philip Patrick. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this audio is strictly prohibited.