The History of St Vincent’s

The story of St Vincent’s Church is the story of a small Catholic community whose determination and perseverance eventually gave it a permanent home in Tain.

For much of the twentieth century, the Catholic presence in Tain was very small. In 1945, there were reportedly only two Catholics living in the town, and there was no regular Catholic Mass locally. Catholics therefore had to travel to Invergordon or Dingwall to attend Mass.

During the following decades, the Catholic community gradually grew. By the 1970s, efforts were being made to establish a more permanent Catholic presence in Tain, and Mass was celebrated in a number of temporary locations, including the Duthac Centre and St Andrew’s Episcopal Church. These arrangements served the community for a number of years, but the hope remained to establish a permanent Catholic church in the town.

That hope eventually became a reality under the leadership of Canon Hugh Malaney. In 1985, Canon Malaney secured a site for a new church, and plans for a permanent Catholic church in Tain could finally proceed. The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Mario Conti, Bishop of Aberdeen, and construction of the new church followed.

On 23 September 1986, the new church was officially opened and dedicated to St Vincent de Paul. The occasion was a major event for the Catholic community of Tain and for the wider town. Catholics from the surrounding area gathered alongside clergy and distinguished guests for the dedication, marking the culmination of many years of hope, effort and disappointment.

The new church was designed by Trevor Black and constructed by O’Brien Properties. It provided seating for approximately 110 people, with a further 60 accommodated in the adjoining hall. The altar was made by Paul Lippok, a member of the Tain Catholic community who played an important role in the life of the parish.

The story of St Vincent’s also reflects the friendships that developed between Catholic communities far beyond Easter Ross. The bell in the church tower was a gift from parishioners of St Peter’s in Wildeshausen, Germany, to the Catholics of Tain. Through the initiative of local parishioner Alain Holgate, the bell was transported from Germany to Invergordon aboard an RAF vessel before making its way to its new home in Tain. The connection with Wildeshausen remains a memorable part of the story of the church.

The opening of St Vincent’s brought an end to many years in which Catholics in Tain had depended upon temporary places of worship. The new church represented not simply a new building, but the perseverance of a community determined to establish and maintain a Catholic presence in the town.

Today, St Vincent’s continues to serve the Catholic community of Tain and the surrounding area. As one of the two churches of the Parish of St John Ogilvie, it remains a place of worship, prayer, the celebration of the sacraments and community, continuing the work and witness of the generations who made the church possible.