Where God’s unconditional love for all is celebrated every day

We don’t have all the answers, and we welcome the questions

Respecting the dignity of every human being

Open Hearts Open Minds

Inspired by the ancient and the new

Welcome

Welcome to St Columba’s by the Castle – a small, vibrant church, right at the centre of Edinburgh.

Whether you are looking for a progressive, open-minded community to belong to; a service of worship to drop into; a church for a christening, wedding or funeral; a venue for an event, a concert or a project serving human need; or simply a peaceful space to be still and reflect – a warm welcome awaits you.

No matter who we are, who we love or what we believe – young or old; single or partnered; straight or LGBTQI; seeker, doubter or deeply committed – God loves and accepts us all. We are all welcome – and so are you!

During the time of lockdown, our congregation is continuing to share in worship and group activities online.

You are very welcome to worship with us. You can access the livestream of our Sunday service on our Facebook page (no login required).

Our online Sunday Eucharist starts at 10 am. We look forward to having you with us!

“St C’s is a small church with a warm atmosphere that instantly made me feel at home. Though we sort of use traditional liturgy, we’re quite informal and welcome everyone. Since I first came here I have found everyone to be very friendly and we would love to meet you and have a chat with you over a cup of tea/coffee after the service.” Naomi

More upcoming services

News from St. Columba’s

The Columcille Window, Iona Abbey is the work of William Wilson, O.B.E., R.S.A. and is used with permission.
Photography by Katherine McHale, Catherine Outram and Andy McGregor
Images created by Katherine McHale are copyright (c) Katherine McHale. All rights reserved.
Please do not re-use images without permission.

St Columba's Hall Hire

Our Hall and garden are available to let for morning, afternoon or evening sessions every day except Sunday. Perfect for weddings, ceilidhs, meetings, workshops and community groups.

MORE INFORMATION & BOOKING CALENDAR

News and Pictures

Dreaming of the Holy Rood: a liturgy and exhibit

St. Columba's by the Castle will present "Dreaming of the Holy Rood: a Liturgy of the Incarnation based on the ...
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Creation Season is here

Join us for our special Creation Season services in September and October. This year's theme is the Four Elements of ...
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And the toast was St. Columba!

We marked St.Columba's Day on June 9th with a party, celebrating our Immrama (Voyage Tales) project. Our in-church exhibition has ...
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More News

Prayer

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

Attributed to Francis Drake