The History of St Joseph's

The Catholic presence in Invergordon stretches back more than a century, with the present St Joseph’s Church standing as the successor to a much smaller chapel established during the First World War.

In 1917, the American Navy, stationed in the area during the First World War, constructed a timber chapel with a tin roof just off the eastern end of Invergordon’s High Street. The chapel was dedicated to St Joseph and formed part of the Catholic community within Dingwall Parish. Priests travelled from Dingwall to serve the community, with Mass initially celebrated approximately once a month.

As the Catholic population of Invergordon grew, the small chapel became increasingly inadequate. By the 1950s Mass was being celebrated every Sunday, but the original building had deteriorated badly. Its roof was leaking and the floor was beginning to collapse, making the construction of a new church necessary.

Under the leadership of Fr W. Davis, Parish Priest from 1953 to 1961, a new site was acquired from British Railways near the railway station. A prefabricated church was commissioned from REEMA Construction, using reinforced concrete panels assembled on a concrete foundation. The archive records the cost of the building as £5,985.

The present St Joseph’s Church was built in 1958, and the first Mass was celebrated there on the fourth Sunday of Advent that year. The new church provided the Catholic community with a permanent place of worship and became an important centre of Catholic life in Invergordon.

From 1961 until 1979, the parish was served by Fr, later Canon, Bernard MacDonald. During his time he made a number of additions to the interior of the church, including the lectern and Stations of the Cross.

A new chapter began on 26 August 1979, when Invergordon became part of the newly established Parish of St John Ogilvie, together with the Catholic community in Tain.

St Joseph’s has continued to develop and be cared for throughout the decades. In 1998, during the time of Canon Hugh Malaney, a new entrance vestibule was constructed and completed in May of that year. Further major improvements followed under Fr Michael Savage, including the re-roofing of the church in 2004 and the installation of a new hardwood floor in 2006.

The church has also continued to reflect the parish's devotion to its patron. A St John Ogilvie window was dedicated in 2010, and a hall extension was added in 2011. The church was formally dedicated in 2013, marking almost a century of Catholic worship in Invergordon.

From the modest timber chapel of 1917 to the church that stands today, St Joseph’s has been shaped by the faith and generosity of generations of parishioners. The building has changed, been repaired and extended, but its purpose has remained constant: to provide a place where the Catholic community of Invergordon can gather for worship, prayer, the sacraments and fellowship.

Today, St Joseph’s continues to serve the people of Invergordon as one of the two churches of the Parish of St John Ogilvie. Its history is a testament to the perseverance of the Catholic community and to the generations who have kept the faith alive in the town for more than a century.