Doing the same thing twice wasn't fun. Just doing what everybody else was doing wasn't fun. It wasn't satisfying. So I threw myself out of trees into bushes (in mimicry of characters from Jackass), put traffic cones on my head on top of buildings I'd climbed, to pose for pictures whilst pretending to be a gnome.

I want to be a good spiritual father to my boys. They will look to me for a model to follow. This means being prepared for life. Physically prepared – exercise and diet; mentally prepared – keeping my mind agile; but mainly spiritually prepared. This, like exercise and a good diet, must be ongoing and developing. It is not good enough to be “comfortable” in faith.

Celibacy is another way of living, but ultimately if it doesn’t make you more loving, then it’s going to have a negative effect. It’s about finding how to use those energies in a more loving way for other people and to deepen your relationship with Christ.

If you want to become a priest to avoid becoming a father, then you shouldn’t become a priest. Being a spiritual father involves many of the same tribulations as being a biological father and, in some sense, fewer consolations. But a priest should have that desire to be a father, quite strongly. It is the first vocation of a man to be a father. Every man must find a way in which to fulfil the vocation of paternity.

The answer came back, “Edward, I want you to be a priest!”. And, sitting there, at 21 years old, I said, “Ok, that’s an interesting thought – do You have anything else? Are there any other options You have for me?” I thought, this is probably just me running away from the fact that I don’t know what I was going to do with my life. But over the years, the call carried on like a drum beat, getting louder and louder.

Over the following months - before we started dating - I did all I could to get myself in order.

I know that a husband and wife are called to bring each other to God. This was a desire I saw in her and something I wanted to be for her. I knew that I needed a woman like her to help me be the best man I could be, and I wouldn't be the best man I could be if I couldn’t help her to be the best woman she could be.