EXPLANATION


WHY DOES THIS WEBSITE EXIST?

The Church of Saint Peter in Chains is a Catholic Church in Ardrossan, Ayrshire, Scotland. It is a relatively young Church having been opened in 1938. Most Churches in the surrounding towns are well over a hundred years old.

This website exists for two reasons. Firstly, it records the history of the parish and secondly, it informs the community of Church services and other events.

When the word 'church' is mentioned, most people probably think of a building. A church is, however, much, much more than a building. A church is a community in which people interact with each other to pray, share, socialise, mourn, love, help and care.

To many people, the Church of Saint Peter in Chains is a building near the shore in Ardrossan. In the community sense, it is far more than bricks and mortar. Saint Peter's has been the focus of many activities including religious, social and fundraising events. Thousands of people have passed through its doors. The history of Saint Peter's is in many ways the history of these thousands of people.

This website was launched in July 2005 when the Church was nearly 67 years old. As a community grows old, with its advancing years fades the opportunity to tell its stories, listen to its tales, read its documents and look at its photographs. It is considered vital to capture the history of the people of the Church of Saint Peter in Chains for future generations. This website attempts to serve the community by doing so.

No individual can know everything about the parish. Help in writing its history is needed. If you can assist, please do so. Ways in which you can help to record our history include:
  - sharing your knowledge
  - lending your pictures
  - writing a profile of a deceased relative or friend
  - making suggestions for improvement
  - reporting broken or missing links
  - pointing out errors and inconsistencies, no matter how trivial

As you browse through this site, you will read about the Church in terms of architecture, fabrics and furnishings. More importantly, however, you will 'meet' its people. Names in this website have been taken from material in the community, for example, parish bulletins, newspapers, souvenirs, photographs and other sources. It is not viable to consult everyone mentioned before publication. The Parish Priest and website author respect the rights and privacy of individuals. If you do not wish to be included, please inform the author.

The website author's email address is WebsiteAuthor@SaintPeterInChains.net.














































The Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, Saltcoats opened on 13 April 1853; Saint Brigid's Church, Kilbirnie on 11 May 1862; Saint Mary's Church, Irvine in 1862; Church of Saint Mary, Star of the Sea, Largs in 1869; Saint Winin's Church, Kilwinning in 1872; Saint John's Church, Stevenston on 2 July 1905 and Saint Bride's Church, West Kilbride in May 1907.

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