Plaque to Gilleasbuig Macmillan, St Giles Cathedral

Gilleasbuig Iain Macmillan (b.1942) is a former minister of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

. From 1973 until his retirement in September 2013 he served as Minister of

St Giles' Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 1 ...

, in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, which is sometimes described as the mother church of

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. He was Dean of the Thistle and is a Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II. As Dean of the Thistle he was styled "

The Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style applied to certain religious figures. Overview *In the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church in Great Britain, it applies to bishops, except that '' The ...

" and from retiral was styled "

The Very Reverend The Very Reverend is a style given to members of the clergy. The definite article "The" should always precede "Reverend" as "Reverend" is a style or fashion and not a title. Catholic In the Catholic Church, the style is given, by custom, to pri ...

Life

He was born in

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

on 21 December 1942. He graduated from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

(

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

and B.D.). He presided at the Kirking of the Parliament in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. Before moving to St Giles Cathedral in 1973, he was minister at

Portree Portree (; gd, Port Rìgh, ) is the largest town on, and capital of, the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Murray, W.H. (1966) ''The Hebrides''. London. Heinemann. Pages 154-155. It is the location for the only secondary school o ...

Parish Church on the Isle of Skye. Macmillan was widely tipped for the selection as

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states t ...

in 1996 and again in 2002, but failed to win sufficient support. According to ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...

'' (30 October 2002), "Although he has a high public profile in the capital, and inside

the Kirk The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church an ...

, insiders felt he was not universally popular." In October 1991, St Giles held a Service of Repentance in memory of the victims of the First Gulf War, which was also attended by Muslims. Instead of simply allowing the Muslims to leave the service to carry out their prayers, Reverend Macmillan decided to stop the service twenty minutes after its start and let the Muslims perform their prayers in the Cathedral next to the Holy Table. The Adhan, the Muslim call to the prayer, was made from the pulpit of the cathedral and the prayers were performed in the midst of a Christian congregation of over 1,000. For this he was awarded a Muslim News Award for Excellence. Macmillan retired as minister of St Giles' Cathedral on 30 September 2013. His position as Dean of the Thistle was filled by Rev

Iain Torrance Iain Richard Torrance, (born 13 January 1949) is a retired Church of Scotland minister, theologian and academic. He is Pro-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, Honorary Professor of Early Christian Doctrine and Ethics at the University o ...

Bibliography

*''A Workable Belief: Thoughts on the Apostles' Creed'' (St Andrew Press, 1993) *''Understanding Christianity'' (Dunedin Academic Press, 2004)

Honours

* Elected Fellow, Royal Society of Edinburgh, 2005. * Honorary Doctorate (DD),

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, 2003. * Appointed CVO by the Queen, 1999. * Appointed KVCO by the Queen, 2014 * Honorary Doctorate (Dr.h.c.),

, 1998. * Annemarie Schimmel Award for Championing a Muslim Cause, 2009.

References

External links

Cathedral Minister to retire – BBC News, 24 September 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macmillan, Gilleasbuig Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland Place of birth missing (living people) Deans of the Thistle Ministers of St Giles' Cathedral 21st-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland