We congratulate Sarah and send her our prayers and best wishes.You can watch the highlights of the service which took place at Canterbury Cathedral via the YouTube video at the bottom of this page, or catch up on the full service by visiting the Church of England's YouTube channel, which can found by clicking on the link below:https://www.youtube.com/live/MjLK48OWDRc?si=Z6czZgUA-9r9UfcUA Prayer for the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally:Almighty God, you call your Church in every age to proclaim the gospel of Christ: look with mercy upon your servant Sarah, and grant that, as deacon, she may care for those in need, as priest, sustain us with the ministry of word and sacrament, and as bishop, guard the faith and build up the body of Christ in holiness. Give her wisdom and kindness that as archbishop, she may promote unity, seek truth, and lead us in the way of righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.The Church of England
Our Lent Outreach Appeal this year is in aid of Cornerstone Supported Housing & Counselling Ltd, a small local registered charity dedicated to tackling the causes of homelessness. The appeal will run from Sunday 8th March to Sunday 12th April. Cornerstone’s approach is very practical and hands-on. It runs a furniture-making and vocational training unit in Willington, and has units in Bishop Auckland and Hartlepool which act both as community hubs and selling outlets for the furniture it makes at Willington. Its team of volunteers work on the streets and through the community hubs to help homeless people find support and emergency accommodation.A display about Cornerstone's work is now on the welcome boards at the back of Church, with information on how to donate (note that Cornerstone is not at present registered for gift aid, as its small team has put all their initial drive into developing the range of services it offers).Cheques should be made payable to Cornerstone Supported Housing & Counselling Ltd. They may be placed in an envelope labelled St Oswald’s Easter Homelessness Appeal and left in the Institute secure letterbox (across the road from the church) or placed in the collection plate at a Sunday morning Parish Eucharist.https://cornerstone-north.org/Almighty God of refuge and strength, in whose image we are all made, and who is a home to any who are in need or trouble; inspire us with your spirit of love, empower us to work for change, direct our actions towards any who need food, comfort, shelter and sanctuary and help us to live as one with one another. Amen.Pershore Abbey - Part of the Diocese of Worcester
Saturday4:00pm: Dramatic Performance - 'Entry Into Jerusalem'; please see note belowSunday, 29th March 2026 - Palm Sunday; The Sunday next before Easter***Please note - British Summer Time begins today; clocks go forward one hour!***11:00am: Parish Eucharist, Procession of Palms and Proclaiming of the Passion, commencing in the Institute (CW) 6:00pm: Said Evensong with Hymns (BCP)Holy Tuesday 9:30am: Holy Communion at St Mary’s, CoxhoeHoly Wednesday 10:00am: Midweek Holy Communion (BCP)Maundy Thursday 6:00pm: Eucharist, Stripping of the Altars and WatchGood Friday 2:00pm: Liturgy of the Day and Sung PassionHoly Saturday8:00pm: The Vigil and Service of LightSunday, 5th April 2026 - Easter Sunday11:00am: Parish Eucharist (CW)6:00pm: No Evensong TodayWednesday10:00am: Midweek Matins (BCP)***Please see the Calendar of services attached.******Please see also David’s Music Notes attached.***I am very grateful to Gavin for taking most of the services during this holy period. I am also grateful to Alan and to John for all their ministry in leading worship. It will remain the case throughout April that I will again not be much at St Oswald’s on a Sunday morning. However, with Brian Close now available to help at Coxhoe and with the possibility of a priest coming to help at Kelloe, it looks like I will be able to be here on most Sunday mornings again soon. Keith Lumsden has now completed his treatment and is looking well.'The Scena Mundi Theatre Company and Durham University students will be performing the medieval play of the York Skinners' 'Entry into Jerusalem' at St Oswald's. This free performance will take place at 4:00pm on Saturday 28th March. The performance should last about half an hour. All are welcome.Deanery Confirmation Service 2026: The Confirmation Service this year will take place on Saturday 6th June at 6:00pm at St Nics, Durham. Please let Peter know if you would like to be Confirmed or indeed Baptised and Confirmed at this service. It will be taken by Bishop Frank White.Setting up for Services: Could you help set up for services once a month? We have a beautiful but currently too small rota to clean the candlesticks, find the passages in the Lectionary and prepare for communion - count the wafers, set up the water and wine. It takes around an hour once a month on either the Friday or Saturday. Obviously we'd show you how to do it until you are comfortable with the tasks. And it's more fun and quicker to do it with a friend, so do think about offering with someone else!Please speak to Beth, Sarah, Alison, Judy or Roz to learn more about it and see whether it's for you; it certainly isn't a ladies only club!Thank you for thinking about it.Lent Outreach Appeal 2026: Cornerstone Supported Housing & Counselling - Our appeal runs until Sunday 12th April. Many thanks to Nicky Morson for coming last Sunday to tell us more about Cornerstone’s work. To donate to the appeal please make cheques payable to Cornerstone Supported Housing & Counselling Ltd, put them in an envelope labelled St Oswald’s Easter Homelessness Appeal, and post them into the secure Institute letter box (across the road from the church) or place them in the collection plate at a Sunday morning Parish Eucharist.Trip to Lindisfarne: Durham Churches Together is hoping to organise a day trip to Lindisfarne, on Saturday 6 June this year, similar to those run, pre-Covid, by Churches Together in Elvet and Shincliffe. A decision depends on enough participants at a price not exceeding £20.00 per head for the coach. If you would be interested please let Boyd Sims-Williams or Stevie Taylor know as soon as possible. (boydsimswilliams@gmail.com; gsktaylor@outlook.com)Foodbank: Weekly message from Lynda Delf - On 22nd March, 5kg of food was donated in Church; this will provide meals for 6 people. Many thanks for your kindness and support.This week our shortages include rice, sugar, jam, biscuits tinned meat, fish, tomatoes, potatoes, rice pudding, and fruit. We always need long life milk, juice, household cleaning materials, toilet rolls and nappies (size 6 and 7).Thank you so much.Durham Singers Concert: Saturday evening (28th March), 7:30pm at Ushaw College; a message from David Harris - There will be a semi-staged performance of Oliver Tarney's setting of the St Mark Passion, complete with orchestra, semi-chorus (including me!), and some world-class soloists who perform at some of the most prestigious venues in the world (New York Met, La Scala, Covent Garden). It's a really powerful piece, and the choir have worked incredibly hard this term on this very ambitious project - please do come along if you can! Tickets (£20.00) and further info can be found at https://www.durham-singers.org/dbpage.php?pg=view&dbase=events&id=196951Murder Mystery Evening: On Saturday 18th April at 7:00pm, the Hallgarth Book Group will kindly present their Murder Mystery Play in the Institute. This will be followed by cheese and wine. Tickets will be available from Sunday 29th March in the Institute after the service, either from Sondra (Tel: 0777 1633 269) or at the door, and cost £7.50.Baptism on the Feast of the Annunciation: Colin Pemberton was baptised on Wednesday before the mid-week Communion service. Here is a message from him about the occasion.Dear Father Peter and to all at St Oswald’s, I am writing to express my sincere thanks for welcoming me into the Church of St Oswald, Durham City, and for your part in my baptism on 25 March at the age of forty‑seven. It was a day of profound significance for me personally, and I am deeply grateful for the care, reverence and warmth with which the sacrament was celebrated. Being baptised on 25 March, a notable day within Lent, has a particular spiritual resonance. It is traditionally kept as the Feast of the Annunciation, when the Church remembers the angel Gabriel’s message to Mary and her faithful “yes” to God. On this day, the mystery of the Incarnation is honoured: the eternal Son of God taking flesh and beginning his earthly life among us. For me, receiving baptism on this feast links my own new beginning in Christ with that great moment of God’s initiative and grace. Although Lent is a penitential season, the Annunciation stands within it as a moment of joy and hope, reminding us that our repentance and turning back to God are only possible because God first came to us in Christ. To be baptised on such a day has helped me to see my own conversion and renewal as part of that larger story of salvation. In a very real sense, on the day the Church recalls Christ’s conception and the start of his earthly life, I have been given a new life in him. I am also conscious of how this date has been cherished in Christian tradition as a kind of “hinge” in the history of salvation, associated not only with the Annunciation but with other key moments that mark God’s work of creation and redemption. To receive baptism on such a day, and in a church dedicated to St Oswald in the ancient Christian heart of Durham, has impressed upon me that I am being joined not only to Christ, but also to the long, living tradition of the Church in this region and beyond. I want to thank you for the ministry, preparation and pastoral support that made this possible: for the teachings, the prayers, and the welcome I have received. Your faithfulness in your daily work has contributed directly to this turning point in my life, and I am very grateful. Please be assured of my prayers for the continuing life and witness of St Oswald’s, and for all those whose service quietly helps others, like me, to come to faith and to begin again. With gratitude and every good wish, Colin Pemberton For your Prayers: Amongst the sick, Angie Robley and Carol Simmons.Of your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of Chloe May Galliers RIP, Margaret Adams’ grand-daughter who died of an epileptic seizure aged 25. A message from Margaret - Chloe’s funeral took place on Friday 27th March at St. Mary’s Church, High Street, Haverhill, CB9 8AX. And please pray for the repose of the soul of Fleur Coppock RIP. Fleur’s funeral is scheduled for Thursday 23rd April at 11:45am.With All Good Wishes and Prayers, PeterThe Reverend Peter Kashouris St Oswald's Vicarage, Church Street, Durham pzkashouris@gmail.com
