We are a Church of England parish with a strong tradition of music in worship, where all are very welcome. As an ancient Church in the centre of Durham, St Oswald's is a reservoir of peace for all who enter it.

The Sunday Eucharist is at 11:00am, and we have a play and books corner by the font for any younger worshipper who feels a parent or carer would enjoy it there. Evensong is at 6:00pm on Sundays, either in the chancel, or roughly every other week during term time when the usual hymns expand to a full choral setting, in the body of the church. Midweek Holy Communion is at 10:00am on Wednesdays, and the church is usually open from 9:30am till round about 5:00pm (or dusk, if earlier) on weekdays.

Sunday, 16th August 2026 - Ordinary Time: The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

The Collect of the Day:

O God, who declarest thy almighty power most chiefly in showing mercy and pity: mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Common Worship

Verses from the First Reading Appointed for Today's Principal Service:

And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
and hold fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.
Thus says the Lord God,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them
besides those already gathered. 

(Isaiah 56:6-8, New Revised Standard Version - Anglicized Edition) 

The Post Communion:

Merciful Lord, whose faithful people have celebrated that one true sacrifice which taketh away our sins and bringeth pardon and peace: by our communion stablish us on the foundation of the gospel and preserve us from all sin; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Common Worship

A Poem based on Today's Gospel Reading (Matthew 15:21-28):

A Place at the Table

Do we wish to learn the meaning of God’s love among us?
Let us listen to the words of the Canaanite woman,
who knew she had a place at the table.

The clouds have paused their travelling to listen
to the song, the song of faith Christ hears her sing
in witness to the welcome of the table.

Send the letter to the cities, to the lonely
high-rise dwellers, to the stranger, to the poor.
Tell them they have places at the table.

Dial the telephones of the hurting, the ill and
the despairing; bring them in their neediness
to the healing in the welcome of the table.

The birds have sung their praises to the beauty
of the morning, of a new world beginning,
rejoicing in the bounty of the table.

The words are echoed in the blossoms,
in the sunrise, in the starlight: the words
that welcome us to our places at the table.

Do we yearn to see the face of God, to know
the nearness of the Beloved? We lift
the blindfold from our eyes at the table.

Andrew King

(A Poetic Kind of Place: Andrew King's Lectionary Weblog)

A Prayer for All Those Affected by the Recent Earthquake in Colombia, South America:

God of compassion,

We pray for the people of Colombia and for all whose lives have been devastated by the earthquake.

Comfort those who mourn, bring healing to the injured, shelter those who have lost their homes and sustain all who wait for news of loved ones.

Give strength, wisdom and protection to rescue workers, medical teams and all who are responding to the disaster. Be close to churches and communities offering comfort and practical help, and grant courage and hope in the days ahead.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Anglican Communion 

Durham Diocesan Prayer Cycle Deanery Intention for the Month:

August 2026 - Auckland Deanery

A Prayer of St Oswald:

(Prayed by King Oswald of Northumbria and his army on the battlefield on the eve of the Battle of Heavenfield)

Let us all kneel, and together beseech the true and living God Almighty in His mercy to defend us from the proud and cruel enemy; for He knows that we have undertaken a just war for the safety of our nation.

Amen. 

The Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People