Our Lady and St Andrew is perhaps the finest decorative Victorian church in the Scottish Borders, remaining largely untouched by the dramatic changes which took place in Catholic churches from the 1970’s onwards.  Rather, it continues to present Catholicism in all its rich and complex symbolism.  Some might object: ‘why these images?’ We let the monks of Pluscarden Abbey answer for us:

"The Word became flesh and lived among us", (John1:14). Jesus Christ is both truly man and truly God: this mystery, which we call the Incarnation and celebrate at Christmas, is a turning point in human history and reveals the purpose and dignity of the whole material creation. All the glories of Christian figurative art depend on this doctrine: before this mystery was accomplished in the womb of Mary the invisible God could not be portrayed; now, because God has become man in Jesus, he can be depicted. Therefore to reject holy images is to deny that Jesus has come in the flesh and thus implicitly to deny our salvation.

Consequently our church invites us to move beyond the mundane; to feel surrounded by a great cloud of heavenly witnesses and to be aware that, standing here, we stand at the threshold of eternity.