Monsignor Jeremy Milne was appointed Administrator of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, in September last year. In this Q&A from Crux Magazine, he speaks about his background, faith and his new role at the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh.

About you, your background
I was born in London and grew up in Kent. I was baptised into the Church of England, but religion wasn’t a big part of family life when I was growing up. I came to Edinburgh in 1992, to study, and after graduating decided to stay here. I found work soon after graduating, working for Scottish Natural Heritage and the RSPB before returning to academia to study for a PhD in Ecological Science which involved spending some time each year in Greece. On completing my doctorate, I was taken on as a post-doctoral researcher at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh where I worked on Scottish mountain willows.

What led you to the priesthood?
I think my faith started during one of my times in Greece. I was a struggling agnostic, not sure about faith at all – I was struggling to understand the meaning of life (or lack of meaning) and the questions I was having caused me to lose focus on my work. It was now that I first encountered the love of God, and that changed everything for me – in a moment of prayer, I came to faith...On my return to Edinburgh, I connected with my Anglican roots and began attending Episcopalian churches, but after five years I was still restless. I was increasingly drawn to the Catholic Church, particularly because of the Eucharist, the lives of the Saints, the unity fostered by the office of the papacy, and the Catholic Church’s willingness to offer clarity in doctrine and teaching. I went and knocked on the presbytery door of my local Catholic church and told the priest there (the late, lovely, Fr Tony MacDonald) that I would like to become a Catholic and, I thought, also a priest! In his wise and gentle way, Fr. Tony said, “Let’s do one thing at a time, shall we”. So, I was received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, and, after a couple of years of further discernment, I was accepted by Cardinal O’Brien as a candidate for the priesthood and entered seminary at the Pontifical Beda College in Rome in 2008. Completing my journey, I was ordained here at St Mary’s Cathedral in 2012 and started my ministry as Assistant Priest at St Mary’s under Msgr Michael Regan.

What have you been doing since you departed the Cathedral?
I was assistant priest at the Cathedral for about 18 months before being asked to go and serve a trio of parishes in the Borders – Hawick, Jedburgh, and Kelso, living in Jedburgh. After a couple of years, I moved to the church house in Hawick and served there and Selkirk. Working down in the Borders was a wonderful experience. I served these parishes for three and a half years before being appointed Parish Priest to St John the Baptist and St Kentigern in Edinburgh, where I served for seven years before returning to the Cathedral. Once back in Edinburgh, I also took on some other roles, including Vicar Episcopal for Marriage & Families and recently, as Vicar General and Moderator of the Archdiocese.

How do you feel about being back at the Cathedral as Administrator?
I’m excited, but it is very daunting...Whatever my doubts, all I feel I can do is give it to God, but I am aware that lots of people have been praying for me and there has been so much goodwill towards me. I am lucky to have several things in my favour though – I’ve been at the Cathedral before, so I’m familiar with some of the mechanics of running the place and the extra demands that come from being at the centre of things. With respect to management of the Cathedral, I have the support of a good team... and there is a group of very competent volunteers who look after so much of the day-to-day activities within and around the building, so I’m fairly relaxed, so far.

What challenges are you aware of?
As part of my handover from Fr Patrick, we discussed the challenges facing the Cathedral. The roof is a big issue – even with the fundraising we’re doing and the additional funding we’re seeking, the cost of sorting the roof properly for future generations is very high. Another challenge is always going to be coordinating so many people and activities effectively, though I have to say that things seem to be running very well in general, and I have been really impressed by the high level of organisation there is in place here. One thing we might want to develop is the idea of working with the other local churches in some way and improving our general outreach beyond the walls of the Cathedral.

Do you foresee making any changes – for example, to the management of the Cathedral?
In the short term, no – but inevitably some changes will be dictated by circumstances. I feel the Cathedral is running well at present – I’ll take my time and settle in, and then, in discussion with the congregation, decide what changes, if any, are needed.

What do you know about the Friends of the Cathedral? Is it something you intend to continue?
I’ve been very impressed by what I’ve seen so far. The most visible manifestation of the scheme, Crux magazine, is very well produced, very professional! I look forward to attending the talks and social events that the committee has arranged. Do I intend to continue the Friends of the Cathedral? Of course, I think it’s a wonderful way of communicating some of the lesser known aspects of life in and around the parish and for bringing people together.

By Richard Andrews. This article, abridged, first appeared in the Winter edition of Crux, the magazine of the Friends of St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh, Issue 6. Main image: Richard Elder Photography. Follow St Mary's Cathedral on Facebook or visit www.stmaryscathedral.co.uk/