Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What happens when G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown walks into the clock tower at Notre Dame—and meets Father Robert Griffin?
In this Chesterton Radio Deep Dive, we explore The Priest in the Clock Tower, a four-part imaginative Father Brown story that brings Chesterton’s little priest face-to-face with the beloved Notre Dame chaplain, writer, storyteller, and radio priest Father Griffin.
It begins high in the tower of O’Shaughnessy Hall, where Griffin is preparing for his Saturday radio program and Father Brown discovers a priest who has turned a microphone into a kind of parish. From there, the story descends to Darby’s Place—the late-night refuge where coffee, conversation, doubt, friendship, and mercy matter more than polished answers.
But there is no murder to solve.
The mystery is becoming.
Why do certain teachers, priests, friends, rooms—and even radio programs—remain with us long after we leave them? What is the difference between being noticed and actually mattering? Can justice survive without mercy? Why does sincerity sometimes require more courage than cynicism? And what do we owe the people who quietly keep the signal alive?
Our Deep Dive explores the ideas behind the series: Chesterton, Father Brown, Father Griffin, Notre Dame, vocation, loneliness, mercy, education, hidden service, Winnie-the-Pooh, and the strange sadness and hope of leaving a place we have loved.
Read the complete four-part story
Part I — The Priest in the Clock Tower
chestertonradio.substack.com/p/the-priest-in-the-clock-tower
Part II — Foundations Under the Floorboards
chestertonradio.substack.com/p/the-priest-in-the-clock-tower-c3a
Part III — The Strip at Lunch
chestertonradio.substack.com/p/the-priest-in-the-clock-tower-900
Part IV — The Sunset
chestertonradio.substack.com/p/the-priest-in-the-clock-tower-part
The Priest in the Clock Tower is an imaginative work of fiction—a reverent “what if?” bringing Chesterton’s fictional Father Brown into conversation with the real Father Robert Griffin and the world he inhabited at Notre Dame.
If you believe there is still room for good stories, thoughtful conversation, and a little wonder, subscribe to Chesterton Radio and join us.
CHESTERTON RADIO
Stories • Ideas • Wonder
The Open Door is always on.
What happens when G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown walks into the clock tower at Notre Dame—and meets Father Robert Griffin?
In this Chesterton Radio Deep Dive, we explore The Priest in the Clock Tower, a four-part imaginative Father Brown story that brings Chesterton’s little priest face-to-face with the beloved Notre Dame chaplain, writer, storyteller, and radio priest Father Griffin.
It begins high in the tower of O’Shaughnessy Hall, where Griffin is preparing for his Saturday radio program and Father Brown discovers a priest who has turned a microphone into a kind of parish. From there, the story descends to Darby’s Place—the late-night refuge where coffee, conversation, doubt, friendship, and mercy matter more than polished answers.
But there is no murder to solve.
The mystery is becoming.
Why do certain teachers, priests, friends, rooms—and even radio programs—remain with us long after we leave them? What is the difference between being noticed and actually mattering? Can justice survive without mercy? Why does sincerity sometimes require more courage than cynicism? And what do we owe the people who quietly keep the signal alive?
Our Deep Dive explores the ideas behind the series: Chesterton, Father Brown, Father Griffin, Notre Dame, vocation, loneliness, mercy, education, hidden service, Winnie-the-Pooh, and the strange sadness and hope of leaving a place we have loved.
Read the complete four-part story
Part I — The Priest in the Clock Tower
chestertonradio.substack.com/p/the-priest-in-the-clock-tower
Part II — Foundations Under the Floorboards
chestertonradio.substack.com/p/the-priest-in-the-clock-tower-c3a
Part III — The Strip at Lunch
chestertonradio.substack.com/p/the-priest-in-the-clock-tower-900
Part IV — The Sunset
chestertonradio.substack.com/p/the-priest-in-the-clock-tower-part
The Priest in the Clock Tower is an imaginative work of fiction—a reverent “what if?” bringing Chesterton’s fictional Father Brown into conversation with the real Father Robert Griffin and the world he inhabited at Notre Dame.
If you believe there is still room for good stories, thoughtful conversation, and a little wonder, subscribe to Chesterton Radio and join us.
CHESTERTON RADIO
Stories • Ideas • Wonder
The Open Door is always on.
