A message from Fr. Alan

Welcome to the website of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in Ayr. Whether you are just curious about what is happening in our Parish or have just arrived in the area and wish to learn more about our Parish Community, I hope you find this site will answer your questions and encourage you to get in contact with us.

The Parish of St. Paul was founded in 1967 from the town centre parish of St. Margaret’s (now the Cathedral of the Diocese of Galloway). After World War Two the town of Ayr, in common with other towns in Scotland, embarked on a very ambitious building programme to provide adequate housing for its population. A lot of that expansion took place in the south of Ayr, and over the years housing estates such as Belmont, Castlehill, Kincaidston and Doonfoot all helped create a need for a new Catholic church to serve the expanding population in south Ayr. In fact we still have a copy of the letter sent in 1961 by the solicitors on behalf of the Ayr Town Clerk to Mgr. McHardy, then Parish Priest of St. Margaret’s with the account for the purchase of the site for the church. The ground cost £240 and the architect’s fees were £8.8s.!! You can view the letter on another page of our website. The Parish effectively covers the area south of the river apart from the town centre out to Seafield. Alloway village is part of the parish, which also extends to Craig Tara Holiday Park.  Many of the Catholic community in Coylton see St. Paul’s as their church. Future plans for housing in Ayr envisage great expansion of housing at Doonfoot and Alloway. The proposed new Southeast Ayr project creating homes and industrial units across the bypass near the Ayr Hospital will also bring new life into the parish.

We are also linked with another Parish, that of St. Francis Xavier’s in Waterside, which serves the communities of the Doon Valley. Patna and Dalmellington are the two principal centres of population. The parish church sits in the hamlet of Waterside, halfway between the two villages.  This parish was founded in 1860 to serve the expanding population brought about by the coal industry. Sadly much of that industry is long gone  along with a lot of the population and most people commute into Ayr for work.

But the parish is not about buildings, it is about people! Here in St. Paul’s we try hard to be a welcoming community, to newcomers and visitors alike. We want you to feel at home with us. We strongly encourage family based activities and take great interest in trying to nurture the faith of our children. The children are the future of the parish and we want to hand on to them and their children a vibrant faith which engages every part of their lives.

Please feel welcome to browse our website. In the coming weeks we hope to enhance our website with contributions from all the groups, clubs and organisations which form our Parish Community.

God bless

Fr. Alan Wilson

Parish Priest