Friends of St. Mary's, Fort William

03/09/2026

First Friday Mass in St. Columba's RC Primary School, Fort William tomorrow morning at 10am. All welcome.

19/08/2026

18/08/2026

Wishing our staff and pupils a very blessed new school year.

God of grace and love,
Be with us this year as we change and learn and grow.
Open our hearts and minds to the beauty and wisdom of those around us.
Guide us to see and celebrate our differences as opportunities for learning and understanding.
Help us to ensure that our school is a place of warmth, welcome and acceptance where each and every person is valued and heard.
Teach us to appreciate the many gifts we can offer to each other as members of one school community.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

We hope everyone had a lovely Summer Break and we look forward to seeing you all tomorrow, Wednesday 19th August 2026 at 9.00am.

🤞 We'd like to wish our new P1's and our new Head Teacher, Mrs Ewing all the very best as they begin school life at St Columba's.

P1-4 will have Miss Stewart as their teacher tomorrow in The Nest and P4-7 will have Mrs Soe-Paing in The Hive.

🤞 Good luck to our pupils starting in Lochaber High School too.

31/07/2026

Mr Charlie McAuley RIP
We extend our condolences and prayers to Fr Roddy McAuley and his family on the recent death of his father, Charlie McAuley. May he rest in peace. Charlie’s remains will be received into St Columba’s Cathedral, Oban on Tuesday 18th August at 6pm and his Requiem Mass will be celebrated in the Cathedral on Wednesday 19th August at 10am.

30/07/2026

A fitting farewell today as two Scottish Fire and Rescue Service appliances led the way with blue lights on his final journey to Glen Nevis. A touching tribute to a life dedicated to serving others.

Rest in peace, and thank you for your service 🚒

27/07/2026

We pray for the repose of the soul of Charlie McAuley (Fr Roddy McAuley’s father).
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

It is with great sadness that we heard that Father Roddy’s dad, Charlie McAuley passed away yesterday. May he Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory. Please keep Charlie, Father Roddy and all the family in prayer. 🙏🏼

11/07/2026

I am always happy to cover priests when I can because getting supply can be difficult for them. Priests need their holidays or time to recover from illness just like everyone else. Sometimes they are involved in ministry outside their parish or on Retreat. Covering parishes is a practical support I can give our priests but I also think it is important for the bishop to be present within communities for a prolonged period. And I also enjoy it! Presently I’m spending 12 days at St Mary’s, Benbecula covering for Fr Michael Hutson who has taken a group to Salamanca.
This stay coincided with the Ceòlas summer school allowing me to experience another dimension of island life. Ceòlas, based at Daliburgh on South Uist, has been encouraging the Gaelic language, culture and music for 30 years. Fr Michael MacDonald generously gave me tickets for 3 events in Ceòlas’ new Cnoc Soilleir auditorium. I enjoyed being with people, young and old, in a different environment. The events were fantastic. Highly talented people had been brought together from Uist and beyond providing great entertainment. The traditions are not just being kept alive but, more importantly, opportunities are being given for the the young to cherish and make them their own. Congratulations to all at Ceòlas!
+Brian

09/06/2026

Happy Feast Day of St Columba - patron of our diocese.

08/06/2026

08/06/2026

To read our diocesan submission to the Bishops’ Conference regarding the structuring of the Scottish dioceses please click on https://www.rcdai.org.uk/diocesan-structures/ Thanks to the clergy and Diocesan Pastoral Council for their insights.
+Brian