The turn of the century
The Railway reached Milngavie in 1866 and this led over a period of time to significant changes, with large stone villas housing a wealthy middle class commuting daily to the unhealthy city. Few of these were catholics.

However, the catholic population did grow and by 1889, a new larger catholic school was. It received no state funding and staff, salaries and educational resources had to be provided by the catholic population.

Towards the turn of the century, as the major dams were finished, the catholic population dipped slightly as Irish workers moved to new building projects, but the significant number who settled in Milngavie formed the nucleus of a catholic population which grew steadily.