Building will be multi-purpose says diocese
New Catholic church is planned for Culloden
By Gerard Burke @ Inverness Courier 20th May 2005
EARLY plans for a new Catholic church building in Culloden have been submitted to Highland Council for outline planning approval.
The recent expansion of the area and surrounding new developments to the east of Inverness has convinced the Catholic diocese of Aberdeen that a new "centre for religious services" will shortly be needed to accomodate the area’s growing Catholic population.
The new church will be called St Columba’s and will be built on land the church already owns on Tower Road if permission is granted.
Father Peter Barry, priest at St Ninian’s on Culduthel Road, lives
in Culloden and has been asked to oversee the development of "a dream that we have in the diocese".
"Nothing is set in concrete yet," he stated. "There is no cash yet. It will take us 21 months to firm it up.
"It will be a church building with varied seating arrangements for a variety of uses. Not just for the saying of mass but it could also be a retreat centre, or young people could even roll out their sleeping bags if that was needed.
"We already have two very active and well-filled churches in Inverness but all the development seems to be at this side so we want to provide a church building to enhance our role for for the growing Roman Catholic community here."
John Steyn, chairman of the diocese’s fabric sub-committee, is working with Father Barry to move the development forward.
"This is an application for outline planning permission," he said. "We have had a lot of discussion and I will meet the priest in July.
"Before we start funds have to be raised and allocated. Culloden is obviously a growth area and that will have had some bearing on the wish to establish a church there."
If the planning application is successful, St Columba’s would be only the third Catholic church to be built in Inverness since the reformation. St Mary’s was built on Huntly Street in 1837 and St Ninian’s was opened in 1960 and rebuilt in 1977.
It gave me a great boost today after Mass in Duncan Forbes Primary School to be told that Bishop Peter and his advisors will consider the request for the building of a new Church at the above site to serve the needs of Roman Catholics in the Culloden area in early February.
The building fund has crept to within £4000 of the £150,000 needed to begin the project and the 25 year quest may soon be over.
I hope and pray that the decision will be in favour of building a new St Columba's as a mark of respect for the Celtic and Culloden past (16 April 1746); but more for the future of those beautiful young children at Mass today.
Mike Morrison
Link to what you could get for £150,000 ?