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, 28th August 2026 - Ordinary Time: The Feast of St Augustine of Hippo, Bishop of Hippo, Teacher of the Faith, 430 [Lesser Festival]

The Collect of the Day:

O merciful Lord, who didst turn Augustine from his sins to be a faithful bishop and teacher: grant that we may follow him in penitence and godly discipline, till our restless hearts find their rest in thee; 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 First Reading Appointed for the Feast of St Augustine of Hippo:

He seeks out the wisdom of all the ancients,
and is concerned with prophecies;
he preserves the sayings of the famous
and penetrates the subtleties of parables;
he seeks out the hidden meanings of proverbs
and is at home with the obscurities of parables.
He serves among the great
and appears before rulers;
he travels in foreign lands
and learns what is good and evil in the human lot.
He sets his heart on rising early
to seek the Lord who made him,
and to petition the Most High;
he opens his mouth in prayer
and asks pardon for his sins.

If the great Lord is willing,
he will be filled with the spirit of understanding;
he will pour forth words of wisdom of his own
and give thanks to the Lord in prayer.
The Lord will direct his counsel and knowledge,
as he meditates on his mysteries.
He will show the wisdom of what he has learned,
and will glory in the law of the Lord’s covenant.
Many will praise his understanding;
it will never be blotted out.
His memory will not disappear,
and his name will live through all generations.
Nations will speak of his wisdom,
and the congregation will proclaim his praise. 

(Ecclesiasticus 39:1-10, New Revised Standard Version - Anglicized Edition) 

Readings appointed for the Feast of St Augustine of Hippo in Exciting Holiness: Collects & Readings for the Festivals & Lesser Festivals of the Calendar of the Church of England authorised for use from Advent Sunday, 1997, Canterbury Press Norwich

A Prayer for Rest in God:

Rest in Thee

O Lord God, give peace unto us (for thou hast given us all things); the peace of rest, the peace of the Sabbath, which hath no evening. Yea, give us rest in thee, the Sabbath of eternal life. For thou shalt rest in us, as now thou workest in us; and thy rest shall be through us, as thy works are through us.

Amen.

St Augustine of Hippo

A Prayer for All Emergency Service Workers:

Dear Heavenly Father,

We pray for those who serve in the emergency services. We pray that you protect those whose service is our protection. May they receive your strength in the performance of their duty. We uphold those who have served in past years and we remember those who have paid the ultimate price in their task of preserving life and upholding law and order.

May all who serve or have served within the emergency services be sheltered by your wings of your love both now and forever. May we always show our gratitude towards those who serve within our emergency services and not take for granted the precious work they do.

We ask you, Lord, graciously to hear our prayer.

Amen.

Warrington Salvation Army

We pray especially at this time for the repose of the souls of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, officers of Cleveland Police who died in the recent road collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough, and for comfort and strength for their families, friends, loved ones and colleagues.

Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace and rise in glory.

Amen.

Durham Diocesan Prayer Cycle Deanery Intention for the Month:

August 2026 - Auckland Deanery

A Prayer of St Oswald:

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 

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

The Post Communion:

O God of truth, whose Wisdom prepared her table and invited us to eat the bread and drink the wine of the kingdom: help us to lay aside all folly and to walk all our days in the way of discernment, that we may come with thy servant Augustine to the eternal heavenly feast; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen. 

Common Worship