Q. Can you tell us something about your background?
A. My wife Carmel and I were married in 1978. As a home economics teacher in Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School, she was a working mother for 35 years. We have eight children, five girls and three boys. Now we have 12 wonderful grandchildren. I was called to the Bar in 1976 and practised until 2012. I was elected to Belfast City Council in 1985 and became Lord Mayor in 1997. In 1998 I was elected SDLP MLA for North Belfast, and retired from politics in 2016.
Q. How did you come to faith
A. I absorbed Catholicism from my parents and family as a child and felt very much at ease in embracing its teaching and beliefs. However, they were not unquestioning of aspects of the Church. That healthy critical approach was further developed at St Malachy's College in Belfast. It was there that my Catholic faith was shaped and matured. I had the great fortune to be taught religion by the late Fr Desmond Wilson. He was an inspirational communicator and dynamic teacher, who taught me to think critically and intelligently about religion and its role in society. I am grateful to have had such a wonderful teacher.