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.

Friday, 24th April 2026 - Easter Season: The Eve of the Feast of St Mark the Evangelist

Alleluia, Alleluia!

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

Alleluia!

1 Corinthians 15:20-22, New Revised Standard Version - Anglicized Edition 

‘As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Mark 13:9-13, New Revised Standard Version - Anglicized Edition

The Collect of the Day:

Almighty God, who hast enlightened thy holy Church through the inspired witness of thine evangelist Saint Mark: grant that we, being rooted and grounded in the truth of the gospel, may be faithful to its teaching both in word and deed; 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

A Collect for the Commemoration of St Mellitus:

Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servant Saint Mellitus, whom you called to preach the Gospel to the people of England. Raise up in this and every land evangelists and heralds of your kingdom, that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. 

Amen. 

Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints (2010), p. 716

A Collect for the Commemoration of the Seven Martyrs of the Melanesian Brotherhood:

Everloving God, by your grace the seven martyred Melanesian Brothers bore witness to the power of the cross of Christ in their lives; strengthen us to follow their example of obedience and show that the cross is liberation for all people; through Jesus Christ our risen and glorified Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit; one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia

A Sonnet for St Mark's Day:

Mark

A wingèd lion, swift, immediate

Mark is the gospel of the sudden shift

From first to last, from grand to intimate,

From strength to weakness, and from debt to gift,

From a wide deserts haunted emptiness

To a close city’s fervid atmosphere,

From a voice crying in the wilderness

To angels in an empty sepulcher.

And Christ makes the most sudden shift of all;

From swift action as a strong Messiah

Casting the very demons back to hell

To slow pain, and death as a pariah.

We see our Saviour’s life and death unmade

And flee his tomb dumbfounded and afraid.

From Sounding the Seasons by the Reverend Dr A Malcolm Guite, Canterbury Press Norwich

A Prayer for Prisoners and Captives:

Lord Jesus you know what it is to be held captive. We pray for all those resident in prison and their families.

May they be aware of your presence with them and may your spirit bring them peace and the hope of new life in Jesus Christ.

May the walls of prison provide a secure place for them to discover both their need for you and that they are loved unconditionally by you.

We pray for all who work in prisons, keep them safe and help them to know and demonstrate your compassion and grace in their daily lives.

We pray for all victims of crime; may your spirit bring them healing and peace as they rebuild their lives.

Gracious God, whose love extends over all the Earth, across all time and for all people, hear our prayer.

Amen.

Written for Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) by the Venerable Peter Leonard, former Archdeacon of the Isle of Wight in the Diocese of Portsmouth

Durham Diocesan Prayer Cycle Deanery Intention for the Month:

April 2026 - Chester-le-Street and Houghton Deanery

The Prayer of St Oswald of Northumbria:

Let us together implore the living and true and almighty God in his mercy to defend us against the pride and fierceness of our enemy; for that God knows our cause is just, and that we fight for the salvation of our nation.

Amen.

(Prayed by King Oswald with his Army on the Battlefield on the Eve of the Battle of Heavenfield, AD634)