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, 26th June 2026 - Ordinary Time: Ember Day

The Collect of the Day:

Almighty God, who hast broken the tyranny of sin and hast sent the Spirit of thy Son into our hearts, whereby we call thee Father: give us grace to dedicate our freedom to thy service, that the whole world may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God; 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 Passage of Scripture from Today's Common Worship Morning Prayer:

Some Sayings of Jesus

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, “I repent”, you must forgive.’

Luke 17:1-4, New Revised Standard Version - Anglicized Edition

A Prayer for All Affected by the Earthquake in Venuzuela:

When the earth trembles and homes fall to dust, hold our hearts, God.

When the aftershocks come and fear takes hold, hold our hearts, God.

When grief shakes families to the core, hold our hearts, God.

Send our hands and feet to help however we can.

Our sisters and brothers in Venezuela live this now.

God of love and mercy, may we match your love in the way we respond - now.

Amen.

Christian Aid 

A Collect for the Ministry of All Christian People:

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified: hear our prayer which we offer for all thy faithful people, that in their vocation and ministry each may serve thee in holiness and truth to the glory of thy name; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 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 All in our Diocese and Neighbouring Dioceses who are to be Ordained as Deacons and Priests this Petertide:

Almighty God, the giver of all good gifts, who by thy Holy Spirit hast appointed various orders of ministry in thy Church: look with mercy on thy servants now called to be deacons and priests; so maintain them in truth and renew them in holiness, that they may faithfully serve thee both in word and deed, to the glory of thy name and the benefit of thy holy Church; through the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Common Worship

We pray especially for Helen Miller (previously an ordinand at St Oswald's) who is to be ordained as a priest this coming Saturday, 27th June 2026, and will continue to serve her curacy at St Nics.

A Prayer in Celebration of Diversity:

Almighty God, through your Holy Spirit you created unity in the midst of diversity;
We acknowledge that human diversity is an expression of your manifold love for your creation;
We confess that in our brokenness as human beings we turn diversity into a source of alienation, injustice, oppression, and wounding.
Empower us to recognize and celebrate differences as your great gift to the human family.
Enable us to be the architects of understanding, of respect and love;
Through the Lord, the ground of all unity, we pray.

Amen.

Author Unknown 

Durham Diocesan Prayer Cycle Deanery Intention for the Month:

June 2026 - Jarrow Deanery

A Prayer of St Oswald of Northumbria:

Let us kneel together, and pray the true, the ever living and almighty God to protect us in his mercy from the arrogant savagery of our enemies, for he knows that we fight in a just cause for the preservation of our nation.

Amen. 

Saints of the North 

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