The Foundation Stone. was presented by the monks of Nunraw; it is of this stone that their Abbey is built. It was inscribed by John Damer and reads:- "To the GReat Good God, in honour of St. Mary Magdalene. It was laid by the Archbishop Gordon Joseph on the 30th day of December 1965. Praise to Thee, O Christ."
The Stations of The Cross, were executed by John Damer and Frank Dempsey in fibreglass on which have been mounted olive wood crosses which the parish priest brought back from Jerusalem when he made the pilgrimage there in 1964. Their cost was defrayed by parishioners.
The Madonna and Child, is the work of David Harding in ceramic mosaic in a style reminiscent of the Byzantine. In this tradition the Infant Jesus is never depicted as a helpless child, but as a miniature man...."the image of the invisible father"...Orr Lady is represented in her essential role of presenting her Son and Saviour to the world he is redeeming. This was a gift of anonymous benefactors.
The Hymn Board is the work of Archibald Chisholm of Magdalene.
The Font is made of the same materials as the altar, viz, slate and granite. The choice is no accident, as it is by Baptism we are brought to Life' by water and the Holy Spirit' and thus made capable of advancing from the tomb of the font to the banquet halls of the Risen Christ - the altar. By the water of Life we become fitted to receive the Bread of Life.
The font is a gift of the U.C.M and women of the parish and was made by Maxwell Allen. It is , in fact a 'fountain of living water'......this again is a return to the practice of the early Church, and in our own font the water actually flows through a stone brought back from the River Jordan
The Candle in the sconce in the "Easter or Pascal" candle. It is the symbol of Christ, the Light of the World. By Him we are enlightened, the darkness of sin banished, we are CHRISTENED... incorporated into Himself, the Church.
On the Floor of the Baptistry, there are two tiles, inset with many coloured stones... by which we can trace the the path of the Faith from the land of Christ to Scotland.
these pebbles from the River Jordan where he began his public life of preaching and working miracles. There are stones from Bethany, the suburb of Jerusalem where he used to sojourn in the company of his friends, Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead, and his sisters, Martha and Mary (Magdalene?). there are stones from the tomb of St. Peter in ROME where he went to his martyrdom by way of Antioch; from Catacombs of St. Callixtus in Rome, he was an early successor of St. Peter as pope (3rd century); from the cave in Whithorn where the great St. Ninian lived before going to Rome to be consecrated as the first bishop in Scotland, in the 4th. century, and returning to become the apostle of the southern Picts. The little black stone is from Gartan in Dunegal, birthplace of St. Columba and the green stone from his island of Iona - his base in the 6th century for the conversion of the northern Picts.
In the Porch or Narthex, which is intended for the exchanges of friendship, essential for Christians before approaching the altar of God, is theHoly Water Stoup ...which is a reminder, as we bless ourselves before MAss, of our Baptism, by which we have access to the Father through Christ.In it, inscribed crosswise are the letters IXOUS or FISH. This symbol was used by the early Christiansas an act of Faith and as a means of identifying themselves as believers in Christ, fot the Greek letters mean...'Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour'.
The Brass Bowl was the gift of Miss G. Forsyth, the lead lining was applied by Ian Parker of Magdalene and the lettering executed by James Gilhooley of Bingham.
