There are probably a few priests who absolutely hate deacons – but they’d keep themselves away from me. I like to be fully involved in parish life.

“JUST EDDIE”: these are the words that flash up on the screen of my wife’s phone when I call her. And “Oh, it’s just Eddie”, is what people tend to say when they see me around in Portobello, Edinburgh. I take it as a compliment: there are no barriers between us. I’ve been deeply embedded in the community here since I was ordained a deacon aged 42. Now I’m 49, a married man, a father of three, and a maths teacher.

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