Episcopal Church of Our Saviour is a small Episcopal parish on the corner of Monmouth and Carlton Street in Brookline's Longwood area. It is known for a welcoming congregation and a substantial music program: the parish choir combines professional and volunteer singers and is a major feature of Sunday worship. The church follows the Anglican-Episcopalian tradition, with a service at 10:30 during fall, winter and spring and a 10:00 summer service in the cloister.
Sunday Worship at Monmouth and Carlton
Regular Sunday worship is held at 10:30 a.m. in fall, winter and spring. In summer, the congregation gathers at 10:00 a.m. in the church cloister. The parish also holds additional services during Lent, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Sunday worship: 10:30 a.m. from fall through spring; 10:00 a.m. in summer.
- Summer setting: The summer service takes place in the cloister.
- Coffee hour: The congregation gathers for coffee after the Sunday service.
Church School and nursery child care are offered for children, and children are welcome to attend communion during the Sunday service.
Church School Built Around Children
Church School is built around a simple idea: children are an essential part of a joyful church family. Their friendships and formation in faith develop through learning and play. Church School Director Amanda Swinchoski and the teaching staff combine class curriculum, spiritual worship and lively activities in a setting designed for children.
Nursery Care, Godly Play and a Student-Built Middle School
Every Sunday, the nursery cares for the youngest children. The elementary school classes use the Montessori-based Godly Play curriculum as the foundation for lively learning activities. The middle school program is co-built by the middle schoolers themselves, leading to experiential activities and thought-provoking class discussions.
Youth Mission and Community Connection
Broader outreach comes through the Episcopal Diocese and The Charles River Deanery Youth Collaborative, a regional Episcopal collaboration with parishes in Brookline, Newton, Needham, Wellesley and Dover. It augments the parish's youth ministry with monthly townwide and regional social, community service and mission events. The program broadens teenagers' awareness of the larger Church and their part in its mission, and an annual apple pie-making event benefits local food pantries.
From Acolytes to the Children's Choir
Children can train and serve as acolytes, then attend communion during Sunday worship. The Children's Epiphany Pageant makes young students the actors while older students design sets and work as stagehands. The Children's Choir, directed by Florrie Ives, leads the children in joyful song.
A Choir That Shapes Sunday Worship
The Church of Our Saviour Parish Choir, a mix of professionals and volunteers, is the heart of the music program and a major feature of worship. Dedicated to sacred repertoire, it draws primarily from the Anglican choral tradition while taking in a broad range of art music, from Allegri to James Woodman. In addition to singing on Sundays, the choir periodically presents sung Evensong and concerts of sacred music.
Choir membership is open to anyone with a pleasant voice and a willing spirit. Music Director Katie Yosua leads the group, which also has four section leaders: Rachael Luther, soprano; Teri Kowiak, alto; Alex Solomon, tenor; and Gray Leiper, bass. Fully choral services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week and Easter give the parish's Anglican-Episcopalian worship a particularly grand musical form.
The 1887 Hook and Hastings Organ
The parish's Hook and Hastings organ, Op. 1366, was built in Boston in 1887 and is more or less unchanged since its construction. It is strikingly similar to the original instrument installed at Church of Our Saviour, Hook and Hastings Op. 485, given by Mrs. Sarah E. Lawrence in 1869. The newer organ had previously been at only one church, Felicity Methodist in New Orleans, where the loss of a large section of the roof during Hurricane Katrina damaged both the church and the instrument.
Redman Organ Works of Ft. Worth, Texas, purchased and completely restored the organ, and its installation is complete. Known as a Size No. 7, it has a moderate stoplist but is richly voiced for congregational singing. The instrument is now in use for worship.
Finding the Parish and Parking on Sunday
Church of Our Saviour is at 25 Monmouth Street in Brookline. The Green Line's Longwood stop serves the D line, while St Marys Street and Hawes Street stops serve the C line. The church office is reachable at 617-277-7334 and office@oursaviourbrookline.org.
Sunday-morning parking is available next door at the Boston University lot. The space can be used for the length of the service and for coffee hour, but only on Sunday mornings. The parish warns that vehicles are towed and singles out Red Sox game nights as a particularly important time to avoid parking there.
Children's Safety, Adult Learning and Giving
The parish maintains a safe church policy that includes a policy for the protection of children and youth and a Me Too poster. The parish also offers adult education.
The parish is sustained by charitable donations from members and friends. A contribution can be made through the church's online giving form, and the parish sends a personal thank-you note by U.S. Mail.
Clergy and Music Leadership
Rev. Kathy McAdams serves as interim rector and previously served as rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Franklin, Massachusetts. Rev. Joel M. Ives, parish rector from 2006 until his retirement at the end of September 2026, previously served as rector of St. Paul's Church on Nantucket Island and as Cox Fellow at St. Paul's Cathedral in Boston. He graduated from The General Theological Seminary in New York City.
Beyond the clergy, Amanda Swinchoski leads Church School and its teaching staff, Florrie Ives directs the Children's Choir, and Katie Yosua leads the Parish Choir.
Church of Our Saviour's character is specific: a small Brookline parish where Anglican-Episcopalian worship, a choir made up of professionals and volunteers, a child-centered school and a restored nineteenth-century organ meet in one close-knit church life.