University Chaplain Delivers Final Service of St Monans Church

On Sunday 19 October, Revd Dr Donald MacEwan, the University Chaplain, spoke during the final formal service in the 650-year history of St Monans Church. Situated on the coast in the village of St Monans, about twelve miles south of St Andrews, the church was built in the 1360s and has served as a place of worship since. 

St Monans Church has reportedly survived “the Reformation, wars with England, splits and reunions in the Church, a Second-World-War blast, and every storm tide blowing up from the Firth of Forth” — but is unable to survive the “winds of change blowing through the Church of Scotland,” as stated in the University Chaplaincy Newsletter. In December 2022, the Church of Scotland made a decision to sell St Monans Church, alongside 400 other churches across the country. As this process will be finalised shortly, St Monans Church arranged a final service last Sunday to mark its farewell as a place of worship for the Church of Scotland. 

In an interview with The Saint, Revd MacEwan discussed the atmosphere at the final service. “There was a real mood of sadness that a tradition of 650 years of worship in that space was changing [and that] the Church of Scotland no longer feels able to keep it as a place of worship.” According to Revd MacEwan, the church is essentially as “it would have looked 650 years ago; the shape inside is the shape it has always been, and there are [...] medieval features that you can still see.”

St Monans Church is in the process of being sold to the St Monans Auld Kirk Enterprise, a community-based group planning to create a new space within and around the church. The renovations made by this group, which will take place in phases over the next four years, will include a community cafe, heritage display, space for concerts, conferences, and festivals, as well as a kitchen and accessible WC facilities. With these renovations, St Monans Auld Kirk Enterprise intends to “retain the character of the building” and will ensure that the “east end of the Kirk remains a sacred space for contemplation and reflection,” as outlined on their website. Events such as weddings, funerals, and christenings may still take place at the site. 

Before starting his role as University Chaplain at St Andrews in 2011, Revd MacEwan preached at St Monans Church for almost ten years. After finishing his PhD at Trinity College Dublin,  already qualified as a minister, he came to Scotland in search of a church at which to preach. Revd MacEwan was interviewed by thirteen people for the position at St Monans and was then asked to preach in front of the whole congregation, who then voted on his appointment. “[A]lmost all of them said yes,” said the Chaplain.

The decision of the Church of Scotland to sell St Monans Church saddens Revd MacEwan and many others in the St Monans community. According to Revd MacEwan, the Church of Scotland “has been facing significant changes, particularly in the Pandemic.” In short, the Chaplain believes the Church of Scotland is now confronted with “fewer people, less money, less energy.” As a result, the Church of Scotland has made nationwide efforts to consolidate the number of churches within parishes, closing approximately 40% of churches across the country, according to the National Churches Trust. 

Revd MacEwan sees the practicality in this decision. He can imagine this would involve “Sunday services that feel nicer [...] a stronger sense of community […] more of a buzz […] and let’s be honest, it’s less work for the minister doing only two services rather than five.” 

(St Monans Church Congregation at Closing Service on 19 October, 2025)

However, he also stated that “sometimes churches decide to get rid of the wrong building.” In the view of Revd MacEwan, “in villages, if you can keep the church building open […] it is full of benefits for the village. It’s another resource when other institutions are leaving, like banks, chemists, doctors, jobs, post offices […] it’s a focal point for the community.” Revd MacEwan interprets the Church of Scotland’s decision to sell St Monans as “publicly [saying]: “we don’t need a 650 year-old building” and that “our faith is smaller than it used to be.”

Revd MacEwan wishes for the new St Monans Church building to be “restored again for new generations to come in, be refreshed and inspired, find community and courage.” Most importantly, he hopes that it “remains a place of prayer.” 

Reflecting on the many historical churches around St Andrews, Revd MacEwan believes the university town is “a place that shows [that] sometimes churches are sold and find fresh purpose, but sometimes churches just become ruins or derelict." He pointed out that either can happen, “depending on history.”

Photos provided by University of St Andrews Chaplaincy Instagram