A History of St Columba's
7th January 1978 sees Mass said for the first time in Culloden since just before the battle in 1746. Mass was held in Duncan Forbes Primary School, in their games hall, celebrated by Canon Stone, from St. Mary’s, Inverness. Our first weekly Masses were held in the school hall on Saturdays at 5.p.m. Since our numbers remained at around 45 each week, we moved to the General Purpose room in the school as it was less expensive to hire. We also changed the time to Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. During the next ten years or so we were looked after by St. Mary’s, Inverness. Fathers Birrell, MacDonald, Dalton, Beveridge and Traynor were assistants to Canon Stone and would cover for him when necessary.
In late 1989, Father Hassey from Nairn came to look after us. Mass changed to Sunday morning in the school hall.
In 1990 we returned into the care of Inverness. Mass was celebrated by either Canon Stone (St. Mary’s) or Father Doyle (St Ninian’s), and they were assisted by Deacon Cooke. Mass times changed again to the Vigil Mass at 6.15 p.m. on Saturdays, back in the school games hall. 1990 also sees the arrival of Sister Barbara Campbell LSU who continues to reside within our community and assist in our pastoral care. Stratton Lodge Hotel, Culloden on 17 October 1991 saw the first embryonic meeting of our Parish Pastoral Council. On 1st July 1991 we produced a newsletter.
1992 is a very important year for us. 5th March 1992 marks the first meeting of the Pastoral Parish Council (PPC). The community agrees to adopt the patronage of St. Columba, and start to raise funds for a church. On 9th May 1992 the sacrament of Confirmation is first celebrated in Culloden. The confirmandi are Allan Walker and Mairead Walker. Later, on 13th June 1992 another sacramental first sees First Communion received by Elaine Milne, Martin Heinowski, and Siobhan Parker. 10th October 1992 sees the Diocesan Plan meeting being held at Culloden Academy. Some of our parishioners are actively involved in the organisation of, and attendance at, the meeting. In December 1992, yet another first: our Advent programme developed.
Significant developments occur in October 1993, when Father Peter Barry joins us as our dedicated Priest and resides at 1 Walker Crescent, Culloden, which is rented from Highland Council. This becomes the Parish House and centre for daily Mass and our Parish meetings. Our numbers stood at about 60 weekly before his arrival. We began to see a steady increase in our numbers after his arrival. Mass is now said at 10.30 a.m. on Sundays.
Father Barry has encouraged the laity to become more actively involved. The Parish now enjoys a number of Ministries, including Eucharistic Ministers, Altar servers, Catechists for Eucharist and Confirmation, children’s liturgy each Sunday, visitors to the sick, the appointment of a Pastoral Assistant, and leaders for Alpha courses and for Eucharistic services are identified. We did have a very active music ministry until 2002 when two of the group left the area. We have an established programme for Advent, with the only midnight Mass in Inverness, and also an Easter programme with Passover meal, and lay-led Triduum services. We also have a Gaelic Mass alternating annually with a Latin Mass. In addition we have an active social calendar.
In November 1998, Father Barry became Parish Priest of St. Ninian’s, with responsibility for St Columba’s. Our Mass time changes to 9.30 a.m. on the Sunday to accommodate his commitments. He also says Mass in Ardersier on Sunday afternoons.
We have a building site in the locality. This site was purchased for us by St. Mary’s, Inverness, some years ago. In 1999 agreement is reached between Highland Council and the Diocese to part of their areas of land, resulting in the church site being on a more raised level.
In 2003 we have a busy programme of events to mark our 25th anniversary, most notably with mass said by Canon Stone 25 years to the day, concelebrated by Monsignor (then Father) Robert MacDonald, and assisted by Deacon Cooke.
The community reaches the target of £150,000 fixed by Bishop Conti as he was then, later to become Archbishop of Glasgow. From February 2005 we have permission from the Diocese to commence fund-raising for the building of our Mass centre on that site. The community start to look at seating and other furnishings for their new church. Plans are made amid great excitement. A multi-purpose space is agreed upon by the community. In 2006 (?) Fr Peter Barry moves to Aberdeen and the community again comes under the wing of St Mary’s and their Parish Priest Fr James Bell. Fr James is the Dean of the Highland Deanery and Diocesan Treasurer, which means the Diocese has a close handle on the building project.
An Architect (Reynolds Architecture Ltd, Dingwall) and builders (UBC Group Ltd, Inverness) are identified and engaged. The planning is granted. The Diocese grants a loan to the community to supplement the funds raised to allow the building to be instructed. Building commences on site in 2007 with a ceremonial turning of the first turf celebrated by Bishop Peter Moran, Bishop Conti’s successor. During the summer of 2008, younger members of the community are invited into the almost completed building and invited to write messages on the floor before it is overlaid with the wooden floor covering you see there now. Those messages remain.
In 2008 the Diocese sells some of its land to Albyn Housing Society Limited for sheltered housing. The funds raised are a welcome help to assist with the costs of the building project.
The building is completed in 2008, and is dedicated on 1st November 2008 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Peter Moran with, among others, Archbishop Conti concelebrating. A DVD is made of the occasion.
With a loan remaining to the Diocese, fundraising by the community is necessary and continues and is assisted by various regular ongoing fundraising events, second collections, donations and bequests and one-off events such as Lady Claire Macdonald, wife of the Clan Donald Chief, holding one of her famous cookery demonstrations at Culloden Academy on 5th February 2009.
In 2009 the community instruct and commission a statue of St Columba thanks to a generous donation from one family in the community. This is designed and sculpted in Italy by an Italian artist. A Parishioner makes the stand for the statue and it is installed in 2010. St Columba is joined in 2015 by St John Ogilvie, marking the 400th anniversary of his martyrdom. There is also an icon above the sanctuary to complement the crucifix commissioned by the community. Sister Petra Clare, a world renowned iconographer, who the time in 2011 (?) was living in the Deanery at Cannich, designs and completes it. The cross upon which the corpus or body of Christ hangs is marked in red and blue denoting that which Christ left on the cross: blood and water. The Stations of the Cross are added in 2014 after donations from Parishioners.
Interestingly the first non-English language Mass celebrated the Church is not in Gaelic, as one might expect, but in Keralese, as we have a sizable Syro-Malabar community with origins in South India. We also have parishioners with origins in Poland as well as those from Gaelic speaking communities principally from the Outer Hebrides. The first Polish Mass was celebrated by Fr. Piotr Rytel on 15th November 2015.
In January 2014 Sister Barbara Campbell unexpectedly dies. She had been responsible for the formation and catechesis of our First Communicants and Confirmation candidates. Two members of the congregation now assume that role.
The community officially obtains the status of a Parish on 13th March 2015 when Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB, in accordance with Canon Law (for the purists Canon 515) issues an Episcopal decree at the Station Mass being held here during Lent. At the same time it is announced that Fr Domenico Zanre will be the first Parish Priest from 1st June 2015. Bishop Hugh comes back to the Parish on 12th August 2015 for an Installation Mass formally recognising Fr Zanre’s appointment.
And like the wider Church, our history continues...
In late 1989, Father Hassey from Nairn came to look after us. Mass changed to Sunday morning in the school hall.
In 1990 we returned into the care of Inverness. Mass was celebrated by either Canon Stone (St. Mary’s) or Father Doyle (St Ninian’s), and they were assisted by Deacon Cooke. Mass times changed again to the Vigil Mass at 6.15 p.m. on Saturdays, back in the school games hall. 1990 also sees the arrival of Sister Barbara Campbell LSU who continues to reside within our community and assist in our pastoral care. Stratton Lodge Hotel, Culloden on 17 October 1991 saw the first embryonic meeting of our Parish Pastoral Council. On 1st July 1991 we produced a newsletter.
1992 is a very important year for us. 5th March 1992 marks the first meeting of the Pastoral Parish Council (PPC). The community agrees to adopt the patronage of St. Columba, and start to raise funds for a church. On 9th May 1992 the sacrament of Confirmation is first celebrated in Culloden. The confirmandi are Allan Walker and Mairead Walker. Later, on 13th June 1992 another sacramental first sees First Communion received by Elaine Milne, Martin Heinowski, and Siobhan Parker. 10th October 1992 sees the Diocesan Plan meeting being held at Culloden Academy. Some of our parishioners are actively involved in the organisation of, and attendance at, the meeting. In December 1992, yet another first: our Advent programme developed.
Significant developments occur in October 1993, when Father Peter Barry joins us as our dedicated Priest and resides at 1 Walker Crescent, Culloden, which is rented from Highland Council. This becomes the Parish House and centre for daily Mass and our Parish meetings. Our numbers stood at about 60 weekly before his arrival. We began to see a steady increase in our numbers after his arrival. Mass is now said at 10.30 a.m. on Sundays.
Father Barry has encouraged the laity to become more actively involved. The Parish now enjoys a number of Ministries, including Eucharistic Ministers, Altar servers, Catechists for Eucharist and Confirmation, children’s liturgy each Sunday, visitors to the sick, the appointment of a Pastoral Assistant, and leaders for Alpha courses and for Eucharistic services are identified. We did have a very active music ministry until 2002 when two of the group left the area. We have an established programme for Advent, with the only midnight Mass in Inverness, and also an Easter programme with Passover meal, and lay-led Triduum services. We also have a Gaelic Mass alternating annually with a Latin Mass. In addition we have an active social calendar.
In November 1998, Father Barry became Parish Priest of St. Ninian’s, with responsibility for St Columba’s. Our Mass time changes to 9.30 a.m. on the Sunday to accommodate his commitments. He also says Mass in Ardersier on Sunday afternoons.
We have a building site in the locality. This site was purchased for us by St. Mary’s, Inverness, some years ago. In 1999 agreement is reached between Highland Council and the Diocese to part of their areas of land, resulting in the church site being on a more raised level.
In 2003 we have a busy programme of events to mark our 25th anniversary, most notably with mass said by Canon Stone 25 years to the day, concelebrated by Monsignor (then Father) Robert MacDonald, and assisted by Deacon Cooke.
The community reaches the target of £150,000 fixed by Bishop Conti as he was then, later to become Archbishop of Glasgow. From February 2005 we have permission from the Diocese to commence fund-raising for the building of our Mass centre on that site. The community start to look at seating and other furnishings for their new church. Plans are made amid great excitement. A multi-purpose space is agreed upon by the community. In 2006 (?) Fr Peter Barry moves to Aberdeen and the community again comes under the wing of St Mary’s and their Parish Priest Fr James Bell. Fr James is the Dean of the Highland Deanery and Diocesan Treasurer, which means the Diocese has a close handle on the building project.
An Architect (Reynolds Architecture Ltd, Dingwall) and builders (UBC Group Ltd, Inverness) are identified and engaged. The planning is granted. The Diocese grants a loan to the community to supplement the funds raised to allow the building to be instructed. Building commences on site in 2007 with a ceremonial turning of the first turf celebrated by Bishop Peter Moran, Bishop Conti’s successor. During the summer of 2008, younger members of the community are invited into the almost completed building and invited to write messages on the floor before it is overlaid with the wooden floor covering you see there now. Those messages remain.
In 2008 the Diocese sells some of its land to Albyn Housing Society Limited for sheltered housing. The funds raised are a welcome help to assist with the costs of the building project.
The building is completed in 2008, and is dedicated on 1st November 2008 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Peter Moran with, among others, Archbishop Conti concelebrating. A DVD is made of the occasion.
With a loan remaining to the Diocese, fundraising by the community is necessary and continues and is assisted by various regular ongoing fundraising events, second collections, donations and bequests and one-off events such as Lady Claire Macdonald, wife of the Clan Donald Chief, holding one of her famous cookery demonstrations at Culloden Academy on 5th February 2009.
In 2009 the community instruct and commission a statue of St Columba thanks to a generous donation from one family in the community. This is designed and sculpted in Italy by an Italian artist. A Parishioner makes the stand for the statue and it is installed in 2010. St Columba is joined in 2015 by St John Ogilvie, marking the 400th anniversary of his martyrdom. There is also an icon above the sanctuary to complement the crucifix commissioned by the community. Sister Petra Clare, a world renowned iconographer, who the time in 2011 (?) was living in the Deanery at Cannich, designs and completes it. The cross upon which the corpus or body of Christ hangs is marked in red and blue denoting that which Christ left on the cross: blood and water. The Stations of the Cross are added in 2014 after donations from Parishioners.
Interestingly the first non-English language Mass celebrated the Church is not in Gaelic, as one might expect, but in Keralese, as we have a sizable Syro-Malabar community with origins in South India. We also have parishioners with origins in Poland as well as those from Gaelic speaking communities principally from the Outer Hebrides. The first Polish Mass was celebrated by Fr. Piotr Rytel on 15th November 2015.
In January 2014 Sister Barbara Campbell unexpectedly dies. She had been responsible for the formation and catechesis of our First Communicants and Confirmation candidates. Two members of the congregation now assume that role.
The community officially obtains the status of a Parish on 13th March 2015 when Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB, in accordance with Canon Law (for the purists Canon 515) issues an Episcopal decree at the Station Mass being held here during Lent. At the same time it is announced that Fr Domenico Zanre will be the first Parish Priest from 1st June 2015. Bishop Hugh comes back to the Parish on 12th August 2015 for an Installation Mass formally recognising Fr Zanre’s appointment.
And like the wider Church, our history continues...
