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.

Saturday, 12th September 2026 - Ordinary Time (Creationtide)

The Collect of the Day:

God, who of thy generous mercy didst send the Holy Spirit upon thy Church in the burning fire of thy love: grant that thy people may be fervent in the fellowship of the gospel that, ever abiding in thee, they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service; 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 

The Second Reading Appointed for Today's Morning Prayer:

After some days Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Come, let us return and visit the believers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’ Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul decided not to take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and set out, the believers commending him to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went from town to town, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily.

Acts 15:36 - 16:5, New Revised Standard Version - Anglicized Edition 

Durham Diocesan Prayer Cycle Deanery Intention for the Month:

September 2026: Durham Dales Deanery

A Prayer of St Oswald of Northumbria:

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. 

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

A Reading for Creationtide 2026 - Living Water:

Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes.

On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.’

Ezekiel 47:9, 12, New Revised Standard Version - Anglicized Edition 

A Prayer for All who Work on the Water, for Creationtide:

God of the waters,

We pray:
For all who work at sea;
For all those who give service to the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, and its work;
For Naval Chaplains, and Missions to Seafarers Chaplains;
For those sailing under flags of convenience;
For those working at the the Ports of Seaham, Teesport, Sunderland, Tyne and Blyth, and for those who work on the DFDS passenger ferries;
For those working to bring us food: those whose work is in the fishing industry;
For those drilling for oil and natural gas;
For all divers.

We remember that all these face difficulty and danger.
We give thanks for their knowledge of the sea, their courage on putting out into the deep, their patience and their skill.

We pray:
For all those who cause pollution or environmental or ecological damage through negligence, carelessness, greed or accident, remembering that as we benefit from their harvest, so we share the responsibility for its side-effects.
For those anxious about over-fishing and those trying to protect whales and dolphins;
For those who have lost their boats or their jobs because of problems in the fishing and shipbuilding industries;
For those whose hobby is angling, sailing or boating.

We give thanks:
For the work of the Environment Agency;
For the beauty of our waterways and coasts;
For time for recreation.

We pray for those without clean water or with no water supply at all.
We remember the women whose back-breaking task it is to fetch water.
We pray for those facing drought, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
We pray for those whose homes or work places or fields have been destroyed by floods.
We remember the poverty that forces people to live on marginal land.
We pray for those who are sick or dying because of dirty water.

We give thanks for those who work in the water industry, who deal with sewage, who supply us with clean water - the technicians, engineers, pipelayers, and those who work for Northumbrian Water.

We give thanks for those who monitor the cleanliness of our beaches.
We remember all those who have died at sea.
We remember our own death and resurrection in the waters of baptism.

Amen.

Adapted from a prayer featured in 'Work in Worship', written by Cameron Butland, edited and compiled by the Reverend David Welbourn, published by Hodder & Stoughton Religious, 1985