The Good Shepherd Cathedral in

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire (; , ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. South Ayrshire had an estimated population in 2021 of 112,45 ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

was the cathedral church of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Galloway The Diocese of Galloway () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Scotland. The pre-Reformation Diocese of Galloway, founded by Ninian in the fifth century, had broken allegiance with Rome in 1560, and ...

History

The Church of the Good Shepherd was opened in 1957, to serve the communities of Whitletts, Dalmilling, Lochside and Braehead areas of Ayr. It was designed by John Frederick Torry and William Cowie

Before the church was constructed the people in these areas worshipped at St. Margaret's Church, Ayr and Sunday Mass was also said in Whitletts Community Centre.

The church was a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

for four years until it was consecrated the cathedral for Galloway Diocese in 1961, after fire destroyed St. Andrew's Cathedral in

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

.New Cathedral Church for Galloway
from ''Galloway Diocese'' retrieved 21 May 2013 Only three bishops have had the Good Shepherd Cathedral as their seat: Bishop Joseph McGee (b. 1912 - d.1981), Bishop Maurice Taylor 1981 till 2004, and Bishop John Cunningham 2004–2014. Bishop Cunningham was the first Episcopal Ordination to be held in the Cathedral on the 28 May 2004. The last Mass was said in the Good Shepherd Cathedral on 20 May 2007. This is a result of falling attendance. The Cathedral for Galloway Diocese now is St Margaret's Cathedral, Ayr. In 2010 work began to convert the cathedral building into 25 affordable housing units by Ayrshire

Housing Association In Ireland and the United Kingdom, housing associations are private, Non-profit organization, non-profit organisations that provide low-cost "Public housing in the United Kingdom, social housing" for people in need of a home. Any budget surpl ...

. The building has

Category C listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the Listed buildings in the United Kingdom, listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key ...

status, and the tower and gable were retained as part of the conversion. The building works were finished in 2012 with tenants moving in April of that year.

References

External links

The cathedral at Galloway Diocese website
*http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=413136 {{coord, 55.4698, -4.5992, type:landmark_region:GB-SAY, display=title Roman Catholic cathedrals in Scotland Roman Catholic churches in Scotland

Category C listed buildings in South Ayrshire Listed cathedrals in Scotland Former churches in Scotland Former Roman Catholic churches in Scotland Buildings and structures in Ayr