Saint Mary

Introduction

The church was enlarged in 1904 with the construction of the present Sanctuary. In July 2021, the refurbished church hall was officially opened and renamed the St Mary MacKillop Hall.

Architecture and furnishings

The whole sanctuary was redesigned, and visitors often comment on how dignified it looks. The Norwich organ had been donated by parishioner Miss Katherine Charlotte Wallace and was installed in 1977. In the summer of 2020, a Marian statue with child Jesus and angel was erected at the main entrance to the church. The granite pillar on which the statue sits came from the former Fort Augustus Abbey, where it had supported an altar in a side chapel.

A stained glass window was installed to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the opening of the church. The central piece of the window is a figure of the Risen Christ in power. Surrounding Christ are symbolic scenes from the life and activity of the parish and town of Nairn. The window includes scenes of the golf course, Moray Firth, Sutors of Cromarty, Town House and Church of St Mary's.

The window includes a scene of Kisimul Castle of Barra and a small boat bringing the original parishioners away. Beneath Christ's feet is a sheaf of wheat representing farming and the Eucharistic Bread. The window includes a tree representing forestry and the tree of life. The window includes a fishing boat and fish, the fish being the cryptic sign of the Christian. The window includes a scene of oil-construction activity at the end of the west bay.