Clergy and Religious
“The office of priests, since it is connected with the episcopal order, also, in its own degree, shares the authority by which Christ builds up, sanctifies and rules his Body. Wherefore the priesthood, while indeed it presupposes the sacraments of Christian initiation, is conferred by that special sacrament; through it priests, by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are signed with a special character and are conformed to Christ the Priest in such a way that they can act in the person of Christ the Head,” Blessed Pope Paul VI, Presbyterorum Ordinis, 7 December 1965.
The responsibilities of the Office for Clergy and Religious are as follows:
- To be the "go-to" person for clergy and religious in crisis.
- To be available to meet and advise clergy on matters of health and wellbeing, and to actively take an interest in the welfare of individual clerics and religious.
- To promote the life, work, interest and concerns of women and men Religious in the Diocese.
- To work with the Safeguarding Advisor in supporting clerics and religious who have been accused or who are out of ministry.
- To advise the Archbishop of welfare issues concerning clerics and to be available to be consulted by the Archbishop about appointments.
- To develop a programme of formation for newly ordained priests (the "under-fives").
- To coordinate, in consultation with the Archbishop and the VG's, the arrival and integration of foreign clergy.
- To develop a strategic policy in matters relating to care of the clergy according to the vision and priorities of the Church and of the Archdiocese.
The Vicar Episcopal for Clergy and Religious within the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh is the Very Reverend Jamie Boyle VE. Father Boyle is the parish priest of St Francis Xavier, Falkirk; St Mary of the Angels, Camelon; and St Anthony’s, Polmont. A native of Rosyth in Fife, he trained for the priesthood at Scotus College, East Dunbartonshire. Father Boyle was ordained to the priesthood in 2003. Since then he has served in parishes in Stirlingshire, West Lothian, Edinburgh.
