World Service

On September 11, 2001, Paul Carris was working on the 71st floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. When the building was struck, he joined the evacuation and came across a colleague, Judith Toppin, who was struggling to descend the stairs. Paul stayed with her, supporting her through the long journey down as thousands fled and firefighters climbed towards the danger. They emerged only minutes before the tower collapsed. Paul believed he had saved Judith, but in the years that followed he came to understand that she had also saved him. For Heart and Soul, Colm Flynn meets Deacon Paul Carris to hear how the events of 9/11 transformed his life and faith. Paul recalls the extraordinary calm inside the stairwell, Judith praying Psalm 23, and the silence he later recognised as the presence of God. He also speaks candidly about feeling like a fraud when Judith would later describe him as an angel in disguise. He says the life he was living would not reflect this and put him on a journey. That journey eventually led Paul to become a Catholic deacon. Twenty-five years after the attacks, he reflects on the terror of that day, and how a split-second decision to help a stranger changed his life forever. [Photo Description: Catholic Deacon Paul Carris. Photo credit Colm Flynn] Producer/Presenter: Colm Flynn Executive Producer: Julia Paul Editor: Chloe Walker Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno