Church History
History Of Inverkeithing Parish
The return of Catholicism to Fife was very gradual after the
Reformation. In 1755 there were only 8 Catholics in the whole of
Fife. In the latter part of the century, and during the 19th century, the
influx of Irish workers, mostly from the northern counties, swelled the
Catholic population. By 1841 there were over 800 Irish-born residents
in Fife, of whom several hundred Catholics lived in the Dunfermline area. The first priest to visit Fife was
Father Paul McLachlan (1805 - 1883). His mission, centred in Campsie
(Lennoxtown) ranged over a large area, and by 1835 he was celebrating Mass in
Dunfermline once a month. The Catholics from Inverkeithing and North
Queensferry used to walk to Mass in Dunfermline, stopping at Masterton to say
the Rosary, some feat when you remember that in those days you had to fast
from food and drink from midnight if you wanted to receive Holy
Communion. Later, as the Catholic population increased due to an
influx of Irish labourers, mostly from Donegal, to work in the
coal-mining industry, and the construction the rail network and the
When the new Church and Presbytery were opened in Rosyth in 1926 by Father
Dominic Hart, he ministered to the Catholics who lived in After the Second World War, the Catholic population of Inverkeithing increased rapidly, and a site was sought for a more substantial, central Church. Many sites were considered, including the old Corn Exchange in Hope Street, but it was not until Father Tony McNally’s time (1972-1980), that the present plot in Hope Street was finally acquired, and construction begun in 1976. The workmen had great difficulty with the foundations, which consisted of very hard stone, constantly breaking the bits of their pneumatic drills, -truly, St. Peter, the Rock!
The Church was opened for
worship in 1977, but Father McNally still had to commute from Burntisland as
there was no Priests’ House in Inverkeithing. No wonder he always
seemed to be running! He had to look after, not only Burntisland, but
also Dalgety New Town which was developing about this time. When Father
John Agnew was appointed to Inverkeithing, Burntisland had its own
priest. The Salesians who had helped Father McNally out, moved away
from Aberdour. Father Agnew rented a flat in |
