St. Mary's Church

Introduction

William Burn designed the church. A canon built church furniture in his workshop and created table altars for the new vernacular Mass.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has lancet windows above eight-foot wood panelling and an organ gallery in the tower. The tower of St Mary's dwarfed that of the former chapel in the village. The vicar general planned to add a lead-covered wooden spire with a gilt cross above it, but that never happened. A very tall triplet window behind the altar has an eight-paned roundel of stained glass by Augustus Welby Pugin at the top.

At the start of the twentieth century the interior was renovated and a carved wooden reredos or altar screen was added. The crucifixion window was paid for by the Dowager Marchioness of Bute, who is shown praying at the foot of the left hand window. The apex cross finial at the east end of the steep-roofed church was the first of its kind in the Highlands. The ten hundredweight bell high up in the tower was another first in the west. St Mary's Arisaig dates from 1849.

Music and liturgy

The parish has no organist, so undertakers must advise on availability. Only religious music is permitted at funeral liturgies, and recorded music cannot be played because the parish lacks a PLL License. A piper may play the pipes outside the church, as is the custom, but non-religious music is not allowed inside during liturgies.

Parish life

The parish livestreams funerals through its Facebook page upon request at Saint Mary's, Arisaig and Saint Cumin's Morar. The family may have the psalm sung, but it is by no means a necessity, and it must be a psalm, not a hymn.

The parish offers the Sacrament of the Sick, with home visits or hospital visits arranged through the priest or ward staff. For all marriages the Diocese asks that you give at least six months' notice in order to give adequate time for preparation.