St Mary's Roman Catholic says it has suffered a number of thefts over the past few months, the latest just last week when a thief managed to access the priests' living quarters beside the church.
Last week a 24-year-old drug addict, Jason Stewart, was jailed for 12 months after the court heard he had spoken to a priest then stole from him during mass at St Mary's.
Church member, Duncan Macpherson said in the Inverness Courier: "People were shocked that this could happen in the middle of the day when people were going about the normal business of the church — arranging baptisms, weddings and funerals.
"The church was built in 1837 and now it has to install CCTV at an enormous expense due to the number of incidents.
"I suppose it's a sign of the times."
He added that the house keeper had had her handbag stolen, £300 had been taken from the church office and a bike had been stolen from the church grounds too.
St Mary's will now be installing CCTV in its offices and at all main entrances.
Mr Stewart, convicted of the theft, is reported to have been on a drug treatment testing order from the courts and had relapsed - but there had been a spell during the testing order when all his tests were negative but latterly they were all positive, according to his solicitor.
Ken Ferguson, solicitor, said when he was first placed on the testing order for other offences Stewart had attended dozens of meetings and found employment. "It is rather tragic his life is now out of control."
Revoking the testing order Sheriff David Hall told Stewart: "You really have hit rock bottom when you steal from a priest during mass."
