The new Archbishop of Glasgow was at primary scool in Wishaw when he first realised he would devote his life to God’s work.
Recently appointed by Pope Francis to the senior role, it was during Archbishop William Nolan’s formative years in North Lanarkshire that the 68-year-old first decided he wanted to be a priest.
Born in the Flemington area of Motherwell, his family moved to Forgewood when he was around one year old.
He lived there until he was eight and attended St Patrick’s Primary where, coincidentally, he was taught by the sister of Cardinal Thomas Winning.
He recalled: “He wasn’t a Cardinal at the time but I remember him as a priest down at St Luke’s in Forgewood.
"He actually baptised my youngest sister. Any time I ever met him years later he would always ask me: ‘How is Barbara getting on?'"
“I’m a Motherwell guy,” the Archbishop said. “So even though I was part of the St Patrick’s Parish in Craigneuk, I was the Motherwell side of that parish. Unlike Cardinal Winning, who was from the Wishaw side."
The family moved from Forgewood to Muirhouse before a further flitting took them to Douglas Street near Hamilton Road.
“I remember being brought up in Forgewood and wandering around the woods and spaces down there. It was always Motherwell for me.”
Young William Nolan was one of 11 children, the fourth in line, with five brothers and five sisters.
“From quite an early age I knew I wanted to become a priest – from the age of seven or eight, he admits. “At that stage I was at St Patrick’s Primary in Craigneuk. We applied to the Diocese, in those days there was the junior seminary in Langbank and I went there for my secondary education.
“I was brought up in a very religious family and they were the biggest influence on my becoming a priest. It was a church-going environment, and a natural part of life.”
Unsurprisingly, with 11 children to look after, Archbishop Nolan’s mum Catherine stayed at home while his dad William, who he was named after, was a mechanic by trade. After the war along with his brothers he set up and ran Grangeburn Coaches.
The Archbishop doesn’t have a lot of spare time these days for hobbies but enjoys taking the occasional photograph and walk.
“In my student days I enjoyed photography and would develop films. I don’t spend a lot of time on it now and only take photographs when I’m travelling.
“When I was in St Brigid’s in Baillieston, I used to join the hillwalking group. I try to get out for an hour every day, it’s a chance to get some peace and recollect yourself. The last seven years I’ve been down in Ayr and go out walking but it’s all nice and flat.”
The Archbishop admits that if given the power to change one thing in the modern world it would be that people wouldn’t have to beg to survive.
He explained: “One of the things that strikes me straight away when you come into Glasgow is the amount of people begging on the streets. That’s undignified for them and undignified for us.”
The Covid pandemic brought challenges for the church and society as a whole.
Archbishop Nolan said: “It’s been a very strange time with churches closed and then there were only a small number of people allowed in, with many taking part in services online. We’re not back to where we were before, yet.
“It [the pandemic] has caused a lot of people to think about their lifestyles, so that’s been something quite positive that’s came from it. People have paused to think and ask themselves: 'What do I really want to do in life, and what’s really important to me in life?’
“Those working in offices, for example, are now working more from home and appreciating a better work-life balance.
“For others it’s been horrendous; for small businesses and those in hospitality, people have lost their livelihoods. That’s really tragic.”
Archbishop Nolan believes he is well placed to succeed in his new role.
“I was 20 years a parish priest and that’s given me an understanding of the pressures they face,” he said.
“I think I can be sympathetic to them and understand and be helpful to them. And that’s important in the Archdiocese, as the Bishop is one step removed from the people and it’s the priests who are there on the coalface dealing with the people day-by-day practically with their problems and issues.
"Hopefully I can connect with them and we can work together.”
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