Catholic: Cannich, Eskadale, Beauly & Inverness

The Highlands of Scotland retained an unusually strong Roman Catholic presence during the years following the Reformation. Strathglass had a reputation for remaining ‘pestered wi’ popery!’ and many priestly vocations came from the glen. When the Catholic hierarchy was restored two notable churches were built in the Glen - Eskadale on Fraser land in lower Strathglass and Marydale on Chisholm land in Upper Strathglass. Marydale has a weekly Mass and sometimes a mid-week Mass as well: from mid-January ‘05 it is served from Inverness (Sancti Angeli Skete is based in the old presbytery at Marydale). Eskadale has a monthly Mass and is served from Beauly.

In Beauly a church was built on the site of the ruins of the Valliscaulian monastery (a sister monastery to Pluscarden). It has a resident Dominican parish priest. St. Mary’s Inverness is a well attended city church on the banks of the River Ness: Rt. Rev. Mgr. Robert MacDonald is the parish priest and dean of the area. Also in Inverness is St. Ninians in Culduthel Road.

Eskadale Church

The Church of Scotland at Cannich

Church of Scotland: Cannich, Struy & Beauly

Up the hill, at the entrance of Cannich Glen is a small beautifully proportioned whitewashed kirk, built in the 1890’s by John Robertson of Inverness. Mr. Robertson, a farmer of Comar provided a capital endowment, on condition a place of worship was built in Upper Strathglass. A local tradition calls it the ‘Footstep to Heaven.’ ‘It speaks volumes for the faith and energies of the congregation of 100 years ago when, with an annual income for the “Schemes of the Church” of under £20 they were able to make a decision to build, obtain a site.....and have the building completed in the space of only two years' (Church records).

A few miles away, on the Beauly-Cannich road, is the kirk at Struy. Opened a few years earlier, it is typical of the period, with two turrets and a bell tower. Both kirks are part of Kilmorack and Erchless parish. The Chisholm laird resided in Cannich until the castle was built at Erchless.

Episcopalian Church: Glen Urquhart & Inverness

St. Ninian's, Glenurquhart is a member of the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. We are located on the A831 about 6 miles west of Drumnadrochit on the road to Cannich. We welcome both visitors and residents of the area to join us for worship. Our worship services are at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday and Thursday. The service on Thursday is an informal communion service and provides a quiet midweek opportunity for worship and fellowship, while on Sundays we have a sung Eucharist from the 1982 Scottish liturgy followed by coffee in our lower level. We invite you to join us.

This congregation is named for St. Ninian, who along with St. Columba, is credited with the spread of Christianity from Southern Scotland to the Moray Firth. His original church was called the Shining White House. Our church is also a white house where we strive to shine God's light into the world. We participate in several local ministries and support several foreign missions including the Star Fish Project, the Send A Cow Ministry, and the Scottish Episcopal Church Mission Association.

Episcopalian Church in Glen Urquhart

Reader Ignatios serves Divine Office
in his oratory at Fort Augustus (Kilchuimen)

Highland Orthodox Community

May we begin by expressing gratitude to Sr. Petra Clare for giving us this opportunity to advertise our existence? Sister’s generosity is testimony to progress made towards the healing of R.C. and Orthodox inter-church relationships since our Churches were split apart by the Great Schism in the 11th century.

The Orthodox Church returned to Scotland after the Second World War with the establishment of Communities in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, to meet the spiritual needs of immigrants from the Orthodox East. Other Orthodox Communities also gradually emerged, and all soon began to attract Scottish converts.