about us
Our History
St Salvador’s Scottish Episcopal Church was established in 1934.
The foundation stone for our building was laid in December 1937.
The architect, Sir M. Ochterlony, based his design on
the medieval church of St Monans in the East Neuk of Fife.
The building was consecrated in 1938 by the then Bishop of Edinburgh, the Right Reverend Harry Seymour Reid.
Our Values
We are a congregation of the Scottish Episcopal Church
who seek to grow in our love and knowledge of God the Father
through Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Follow Christ’s example, we are committed to building community through sacramental worship and care for others.
Our Ministry Team
Priest-in-charge: The Revd Dr Stephen Holmes
Stephen has been Priest in charge of St. Salvador’s since 2022. Stephen is also Rector of Holy Cross in Davidson’s Mains. He was previously Rector of Padstow in Cornwall, where he was chaplain to the Padstow lifeboat crew, and Associate Rector of St John’s, Princes Street, Edinburgh, where he was responsible for the ‘Souper Saturday’ group for the homeless. He is married to Izzy, children’s minister at Holy Cross, and they have one daughter, Bess. For 18 years Father Stephen was a Benedictine monk and he maintains a strong interest in Christian spirituality and worship. Educated at the Universities of St Andrews, Cambridge and Edinburgh, he teaches trainee priests at the Scottish Episcopal Institute and is passionate about making the riches of the Christian tradition accessible to all. He is also a historian and has published a number of books and articles, mainly on Christian worship and Scottish church history.
Assistant Curate: The Revd Dr Ross Jesmont
Ross was ordained a priest in September 2023. Ross first came to Edinburgh in 2010 to study for a MA in divinity at Edinburgh University. Ross also holds a Masters in Sacred Theology from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and a PhD in Systematic Theology from Durham University. Ross is married to Hayley, a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Church of Scotland.
Assistant Priest: The Revd Mariusz Wojciechowski
Mariusz was born and raised in Poland, where he spent almost 20 years as a Passionists. During this time, he finished his seminary studies in 1999 and graduated as Master of General Theology at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw. Mariusz was awarded the ‘Licentiatus in Theologia Pastorali’ in 2003, from the university’s Faculty of Theology. Mariusz worked for many years as a secondary school teacher. and was also a retreat preacher and member of the School of New Evangelism. Mariusz emigrated to Scotland in 2010 with his wife Anna and two kids – Jacob and Lena. In 2016 he finished training with the Scottish Episcopal Institute and was installed as assistant priest in St. Salvador’s. As well as serving as a priest at St Salvador’s, Mariusz works for the Royal Bank of Scotland. His hobbies include good books, traveling, history and coffee.
Lay Reader: Dr Jenny Floether
Jenny is a Lay Reader at St Salvador’s. She is licensed by the Bishop to preach and teach. Jenny says: ‘I was born and grew up in Edinburgh. Although I have lived in quite a few other places, this town has always been ‘home’. While my husband and I were living in Portugal, we both became lay readers in the Church of England’s Diocese in Europe. When we came back to Edinburgh we were both licensed as readers in the Scottish Episcopal Church. I love being in the thick of things in a church like St Salvador’s because you get to live out what the Christian faith means in real-life situations and you can see its effect on people’s lives and well-being. My working background is in art, so in my free time I still enjoy making art, along with gardening, walking and reading.’
The Vestry is the elected committee who are responsible for the oversight of St. Salvador’s.
The office-holders of St Salvador’s Vestry are as follows:
The Chair of the Vestry is our priest-in-charge, the Rev’d Dr Stephen Holmes.
The Secretary is Wyatt Arp, who is responsible for the organising and administration of Vestry business.
The Treasurer is Anne McAlister, who is responsible for looking after the financial affairs of the church.