On 18 April 2023, Fr Giorgio Miles celebrates his silver jubilee since he was ordained into the priesthood. We speak to Fr Giorgio as he reflects on the past 25 years…
He said: “My journey to becoming a Catholic priest may not be the most traditional.
“I started my career at BT and spent 20 years there. I joined as an engineering apprentice and then I worked in personnel specialising in equal opportunities and finally employee relations. I’ve also been a housemaster at a challenging senior school.
“I wanted experience of life and working in HR really gave me a strong understanding of how to deal with people.
“Back in 1990 I was ordained into the Anglican Church and within a few years I realised that it was the wrong direction for me.
“I was living in Clifton Diocese and I approached the Bishop to enquire about reception. I was later received into the Catholic Church and then I completed training at Maryvale in Birmingham, which was running training for former Anglican priests.”
Fr Giorgio became a deacon in October 1997 before being ordained into the priesthood on 18 April 1998 in Clifton.
It was only in 2019 that Fr Giorgio moved to the Archdiocese of Liverpool as he had family here.
He added: “In November 2019 I returned to the UK after 12 years in Italy and moved into the presbytery of St Cuthbert’s Church in Wigan. It was a very strange time to move here as after a few months, the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
“I thoroughly enjoy being in the parish and it has been wonderful to see it grow. I’m very keen to develop lay leadership in line with the Pastoral Plan and we have lots of wonderful volunteers. We have a parish hub that is open six days a week with volunteers working in blocks when the Parish Administrator is not in, this makes It easier and faster for any enquiries to be answered.
“We have recently appointed a parish administrator who is only 19 but is doing so well. It’s great to have someone from the next generation so involved in the life of the parish.
“The parish has also recently formed a parish council and a finance committee to help things run smoothly, we have a new website and we are looking to do more social events; so we have an exciting time ahead of us.”
Reflecting on his time in the priesthood, Fr Giorgio added: “The best thing about being a priest is the sense of fulfillment, people come to Church during the worst but also the happiest times of their life.
“I really enjoy being part of the community and being involved with the local schools and making it a comfortable and welcoming space for everyone, including young people.”
