Martin came to the parish in December 2004 to assist with Sunday worship and regular preaching, spiritual counseling, adult education courses, and occasional retreats and Sunday forums. Named Senior Associate Rector in 2007, he has responsibility for adult education and formation and works closely with rector Janet Vincent on planning and administration.

Well-known throughout the Episcopal Church as a preacher and writer, Martin’s work for St. Columba’s is 80-percent time, which permits him to continue his independent ministry as a priest and educator. He currently contributes a regular column, “Bearings,” to the diocesan newspaper, Washington Window. His most popular books are The Word is Very Near You, A Season for the Spirit and Reconciliation. His most recent book, Compass and Stars, published in the spring of 2007, is a collection of his “Bearings” columns. Martin has traveled extensively in the United States and Canada over the last 25 years: preaching; leading retreats, parish and diocesan renewal events; and giving lectures and seminars. He was also chaplain to
the House of Bishops for several years. His lifelong interest is forging a contemporary spirituality that is in dialogue with tradition and he loves the questions posed by new knowledge and the challenges of post-modern life.

Martin trained as a theologian at Oxford and was ordained in 1970. After several years in parish ministry he joined the Society of St. John the Evangelist, the Anglican Communion’s oldest religious order for men. He moved to the United States in 1979. After many years in leadership in the order, he relinquished his membership and moved to Washington in 2002.