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 am, 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 pm 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 am on Wednesdays, and the church is usually open from 9:30 am till round about 5 pm (or dusk, if earlier) on weekdays.

Saturday, 6th December 2025 - Advent; The Feast of St Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c.326

The Collect of the Day:

Almighty Father, lover of souls, who chose your servant Nicholas to be a bishop in the Church, that he might give freely out of the treasures of your grace: make us mindful of the needs of others and, as we have received, so teach us also to give; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Common Worship.

A Prayer for Refugees:

We thank you for the blessing of having refugees in England and the opportunity of sharing and learning cultures together. We pray that they feel welcomed into life here as their presence strengthens and enhances our communities. We pray for wisdom to respect diversity and to have an awareness of cultural sensitivities. We thank you for the tireless work of the volunteers and workers supporting the individuals and families, in schools, the coffee mornings and in their homes. We remember that your Son became a refugee and had no place to call his own. Inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts so that we are fit and able to welcome our new friends into their new homes here among us. We ask this through your Name,

Amen.

Together Network. Jane Yeomans, Worker at Transformation Cornwall.

A Bidding Prayer for the Season of Advent:

Beloved in Christ, in this season of Advent, let it be our care and delight to prepare ourselves to hear again the message of the Angels, and in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem, to see the Babe lying in a manger.

Let us read and mark in Holy Scripture the tale of the loving purposes of God from the first days of our disobedience unto the glorious Redemption brought us by his holy Child; and let us look forward to the yearly remembrance of his birth with hymns and songs of praise.

But first, let us pray for the needs of the whole world; for peace and goodwill over all the earth; for the mission and unity of the Church for which he died, and especially in this country and within this city.

And because this of all things would rejoice his heart, let us at this time remember in his name the poor and the helpless; the hungry and the oppressed; the sick and those who mourn; the lonely and the unloved; the aged and the little children; and all those who know not the Lord Jesus, or who love him not, or who by sin have grieved his heart of love.

Lastly, let us remember before God his pure and lowly Mother, and all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore and in a greater light, that multitude which no one can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and whom, in this Lord Jesus, we for evermore are one. 

Amen.

The Anglican Service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Written by the Very Reverend Eric Milner-White, Dean of King's College, Cambridge (1912-1941), Dean of York (1941-1963).